


Alice is a Boy's Name

by JazzyKatz



Series: The Blackwood Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Hogwarts Third Year, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-07-09 17:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 111,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzyKatz/pseuds/JazzyKatz
Summary: An accident brings a boy from America across the pond to Britain, his actions accidentally gaining him a best friend in the process.In which I thought to give Draco a best friend.





	1. Third Year

**Author's Note:**

> Alice’s talents are based on the main character of the show Psych, Shawn Spencer. The fathers also have similarities, however, Alice's father is much worse.

****

_“Alice? That’s a girl’s name.”_

It was said more often than not by almost everyone that met him, an unmistakable boy, being called out by the name he carried. Of course, he only had one argument to the statement.

“Alice Cooper is a man.” He said with a hint of irritation edging his voice. He wanted to assume that this wasn’t going to go the same way it did when he began his years at Ilvermorny. Now at Hogwarts, he was facing a similar sort of ridicule.

It wasn’t his decision to leave America and travel across the pond to set his bags down in Great Britain, but the family issues that happened chose it for him. With his parents dead and all, he came to discover that his mother had relatives living in Britain, a cousin she never mentioned. He hadn’t a clue that he had a Godfather.

His parents were both Aurors, who met each other by happenstance after his father had fled the family he was living with to go into the military. Alice’s mother was a muggle-born that was a nurse in the Royal Navy, both of them crossing paths in the country of Belize. Alice’s grandparents were rumored to be stuck-up purebloods who tried constantly to stop his father from becoming too invested into the muggle society. They had forbidden him from entering the US Navy, and threatened to disown him when they discovered he wanted to marry a British muggle-born.

They became a stunning team together once they became Aurors, but it was only a matter of time until the action caught up with them. A wayward explosion was what did them in, and Alice was still at Ilvermorny at the time, going about his second year until the headmaster summoned him to his office to break the terrible news.

Now Alice was standing amongst a swaddle of first-years, looking annoyed because one of the boys had questioned the validity of his name. It was awful enough that he had to stand with eleven-year-olds. In a country that he wasn’t familiar with, in a new school with unknown elements.

“Who’s Alice Cooper?” The boy asked, and he had to just let the question pass, as it wasn’t the first time he heard anyone ask that. Instead, Alice sighed. Would it be worth describing a muggle rock star to a bunch of witches and wizards? He already got looked at funny because of his name, and going on a tangent about muggle subjects was just another reason for him to get treated badly.

Thankfully a professor had appeared to usher the first-years to the great hall, which he figured where the ‘sorting’ was to take place. He heard about the sorting from a prefect, a very helpful boy named Percy Weasley, who seemed sympathetic to his position. Apparently, transfer students weren’t a typical thing. In fact, it was the rarest oddities that were never supposed to happen unless the circumstances were completely dire.

Another thing for people to ask questions about, Alice surmised. He was now an oddity and would probably get attention from it more than his strange name.

The professor led everyone into a very large room, enough to fit almost hundreds of people. It looked practically full to begin with, seas of heads staring up at him and the other children as if they were waiting for it. The houses were clear, from the banners that hung where the tables were aligned, and neither of them had any significance to him. In the middle of the stage, in front of the larger table the professors sat, was a simple stool and a ratty old hat. It wasn’t like Illvermourny, with the statues. Was he supposed to pull his house out of a hat or was it more intricate? Alice had no clue until the hat began to sing a song, and with that came the descriptions of the houses. Out of all of them, the only one that sounded the most interesting was Slytherin, and Alice took a chance look at the table that held all the students in green and silver. Some of them looked...dodgy to say the least, however, there was a fair few that looked normal.

“Blackwood, Alice.”

There was a wave of annoying whispers that followed the mention of the name, telling him that they knew about the new transfer student before he had entered the room. He knew what to expect, however, and when he stepped up he wasn’t shocked at all to hear those whispers uproar into various hushed murmurs while some students looked absolutely confused. He only smiled slyly at their confusion, sitting down in the stool and waiting.

Then the hat’s voice was in his head.

_“What do we have here? An American wizard! A rare transfer, how fascinating! Interesting, your former house was the Horned Serpent, however, chosen by both Horned Serpent and Thunderbird. I can see ambition inside of you, you wish to be something grand. Very curious as well, willing to look for trouble at any corner. You’re also quite cunning, I see it clearly. Your skills would flourish in the right environment. Slytherin would be a suitable place for you to grow…”_

Alice blinked, grinning slightly. It sounded like a great deal. “Sign me up.” He said under his breath.

The sorting hat seemed to laugh then, “So it shall be, SLYTHERIN!”

There seemed to be positive applause coming from the Slytherin table, and Alice finally stood up once the professor took the hat off of his head. He stepped down from the platform and went over to the table, sitting at the first empty spot he found.

“Welcome to Slytherin!” Said an older student with a prefect badge on their lapel. Alice nodded and turned away from the sorting, not all that interested in watching that. Inwardly he was counting the seconds, coming to a stop when someone tapped his shoulder.

_“Fifteen.”_ He kept the number in his head as he turned, faced with a boy with dark hair and a sly grin.

“Isn’t Alice a girl’s name?” He questioned.

Alice smiled thinly, “My mom went into labor at an Alice Cooper concert.” He said, knowing full well the other didn’t understand what he said.

The boy mulled over the answer and seemingly tossed it aside, holding his hand out towards him. “Theodore Nott.”

“I’d introduce myself, but you already know my name.” Alice shook his hand, starting up his inner timer again. 

He didn’t have to count for long, a girl across from him catching his attention, “Forgive my curiosity, but why is an American doing all the way over here?”

“Pansy.” Another girl scolded, “Dumbledore said overwhelming circumstances, it could be private.”

Alice smiled cooly at her and looked down at his hands, his own counter didn’t even reach ten seconds.

“Death in the family.” Alice explained simply, “It turns out I have a cousin here in Britain.”

Theodore and Pansy watched him carefully, calculating their next move. It was clear they were basing their friendship upon the words he chose. He didn’t know by how much they were judging him, however. “Who's your cousin?” Theodore asked the question that was obviously on the tongues of at least six students who were listening in. Alice turned and glanced at the head table, taking in the professors and turning back.

“His name is Severus Snape.” Alice shrugged it off casually, but the name seemed to just bring all eyes on him as if the news that their head of house had a family was something new and exciting.

“It’s uncanny.” Another darker-skinned boy said aloud. “That explains the hair.”

Alice blinked. His naturally blacker than coal hair was a family trait he didn’t even take notice of until he met his second cousin. Even his grandfather was said to have it up until he passed. However, Alice’s eyes were a crystal clear blue.

“He lacks the nose.” The girl beside Pansy said as if she was critiquing an art piece, everyone was nodding along with her. “Not bad to look at either.”

“Okay?” Alice didn’t really understand what the big deal was. “I don’t follow.”

“You don’t get it.” The boy, Blaise, explained. “Professor Snape was rumored to have no family whatsoever. He never mentions anything about his past, he’s mysterious and elusive.”

“Knowing he has a blood relative is like discovering a prized piece of information.” The girl, Millicent told him honestly. “Which one of your parents has the surname Snape?”

Alice didn’t understand this newfound fascination, catching the eyes of a boy near the small group that didn’t comment but was watching the exchange calmly. The blonde was decent enough to keep his mouth shut. Alice didn’t enjoy being on display, which increased his oddity ratio. “I don’t really think it matters…” He mumbled.

Theodore and Pansy were expectant, Millicent seemed like she understood but Blaise didn’t take no for an answer. “Bloody spill it out!”

Alice pinched the bridge of his nose. “My mother’s surname was Snape.” He said irritably, looking almost tired from the interrogation. “Which meant that it was my grandfather’s surname.”

Theodore snapped his fingers quickly to take his friends’ attention. “Which means that Alice’s grandfather was Professor Snape’s uncle.”

“This is wild.” Blaise said amazingly, “We’re just getting a glimpse into Professor Snape’s family history!”

Alice took another chance to look back at the head table, catching the Professor’s gaze. He suddenly felt off, only until he tore his eyes away. It felt like his mind was brushed, and when he looked back at Professor Snape, the man was suddenly glaring at him. Alice looked around to see if it was anyone else, until turning back to him and gesturing to himself curiously.

Their eyes locked again and suddenly it wasn’t a brush, but a full on grasp.

_“Don’t you DARE tell them anything else about your family!”_

Alice’s eyebrows rose and he turned back, feeling unnerved. That was Professor Snape’s voice in his head just now, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. What the hell was that? Did he read Alice’s mind? Was that a thing?? What else can that guy do?

“Tell us about your mother!” Pansy said then, reaching over to caress his hand. Alice sputtered suddenly, yanking it back. The gesture felt extremely flirtatious. “I bet she was a powerful witch, let me guess, a pureblood?”

Alice’s eyes flickered like crazy, over at Pansy’s face to the other faces, him swallowing thickly and looking for an excuse to change the subject. His chance to evade only came when the table suddenly filled up with food and he suddenly felt relieved, reaching for some chicken.

“I’m sorry, but I’m starving.”

* * *

Alice managed to dodge the myriad of curious questions from his housemates for a while longer, and it became clear to him that he was the new animal on display. Being the second cousin to Severus Snape earned him a wealth of attention garnered from people he didn’t really want, and that included the ever-silent blonde third-year that had yet to put his two-cents into the discussion and just watched on with mild interest. Alice had to ask Theodore Nott about the kid, and that was when the dark-haired boy instantly introduced Alice to - what he guessed was the alpha Slytherin in the bunch - Draco Malfoy. A pureblood with a proud family name and yadda yadda yadda.

Alice came to realize that most of his house was full of pureblood witches and wizards, only a good handful being half-blood and no sign of mudbloods anywhere. He suddenly wondered if he had been sorted correctly, the boy with a mudblood mother and a blood traitor father. It further explained to him why Professor Snape yelled at him telepathically. Snape was probably a muggle family name, and it probably meant that Snape’s father was a muggle.

Which meant he was very close to spilling secrets he wasn’t meant to spill.

Alice tried not to think about that as he rummaged through his trunk, pulling out everything he needed. Beside his wardrobe was his broom, a Nimbus Two-Thousand, which he was given as a present on his birthday. He looked at it for a while, becoming distracted while he thought of his father.

“Blackwood.”

Alice took a steadying breath and steeled himself, standing up to face who addressed him. Draco Malfoy stood in front of him, appraising the broom before giving him a once-over. “Do you play quidditch?”

Thankfully, a question that wasn’t about his name or family. Alice smiled slightly, “I do, I was a jack of all trades back at Ilvermorny. I’m mostly a chaser.”

“What’s your scoring ratio?”

Alice had to think about it for a while, doing the math. “I get the quaffle in about nine times out of ten.”

The boy nodded, “I’m Slytherin’s star seeker, I hope to see you on the pitch.” He smirked, “I want to see you try out.”

“I really wasn’t thinking of--”

“We need all the best players, Blackwood. If you’re lying about your ratio, I’ll make sure to repay you for wasting me and my teammate’s time.”

Alice blinked, incredulous at his reply. “What if I don’t decide to play this year?”

“Then I’ll hunt you down and hang you by your ankles in the astronomy tower.” Draco grinned smoothly.

Alice quirked a brow, “Do you get your way often?”

“Often is not enough.” Draco told him seriously, “Now are we going to get along or am I dealing with another Harry Potter?”

“Harry Who?”

Draco watched Alice for a moment, looking for any indication that the boy was lying. “You don’t know who Harry Potter is?”

“Is it important?” Alice honestly didn’t know who Draco was talking about, noticing the blonde grin widely before laughing, covering it up quickly and shaking his head.

“Blackwood, I believe we might become friends.” He finally decided, still grinning, “No, actually, _Alice,_ we’re definitely friends now.” He held out his hand and Alice looked down at it, the other boy waiting expectantly.

Alice made a note to himself to ask Professor Snape who the hell Harry Potter was before taking Draco’s hand, giving into the blonde’s sudden demands.

He had a feeling this Draco boy was going to be a pain in the ass.

* * *

The presence Draco Malfoy had in his life seemed to define his worth in Slytherin. Alice still felt like he was on display, but now as Draco Malfoy’s friend. Apparently not knowing who Harry Potter was earned him clout with the blonde, which made him wonder all the more who Harry Potter was in the first place. Who was he? Did the boy terrorize Draco sometime in the past? Was he an attention-seeking spoiled boy? Was he Draco’s biggest enemy?

The latter assumption seemed to be the statement that was closer to the truth than anything when going to their first class, which was Care of Magical Creatures. It was the first time interacting with Gryffindors, which this boy seemed to be.

Draco casually pointed him out to Alice (“You’ll see it, the wanker with the scar on his head and the stupid glasses”,) and before he knew it he was being forced to follow Draco, flanked by his friends Vincent and Gregory, who Alice took as his bodyguards. Beside Potter was a boy with ginger hair, sneering at Draco and pulling attention to Alice.

“Is this your newest lackey, Malfoy?”

“Hey I’m not anyone’s--”

“He’s a friend of mine, Weaselby. Alice, this is the poorest student in Hogwarts.” Draco smirked, “You’d be amazed Potter, I actually found someone who doesn’t know or give a damn about you.” He proudly laid a hand on Alice’s shoulder.

“I just told you I didn’t know--”

“It’s that transfer!” Weasley whispered into Harry’s ear, scowling at the boy. Alice was getting irritated at being ignored.

“I told you I didn’t know who Harry Potter was, I don’t really see anything special about him!” Alice spoke up finally, sending Vincent and Gregory into chuckles. “Who is he anyway? What did he do? I would love to know why he’s so fucking special and why it matters.”

Weasley looked blindsided, “You’re American, of course you don’t know!”

Potter nudged Weasley in the side with his elbow, trying to shush him up. “Let’s just go.” He was trying desperately to change the subject, looking bothered and just plain uncomfortable.

Draco still looked haughty, “How does it feel Potter, to finally be looked at like you’re nobody? Gonna cry to a dementor?” He sneered as the other two left, leaving Alice glaring at Draco.

“Did you just bring me over to him to throw it in his face that I don’t know him?”

“Pretty much, why?” Draco rolled his eyes, hooking an arm around Alice’s neck, “You see, you not knowing him takes him down a peg. He thinks he’s so bloody special and that we’re beneath him. You could plainly see it.”

Alice shoved him away, heading down to the edges of the forest with the rest of the class.

Alice spent the first half of class sitting away from Draco while watching the half-giant teach them about Hippogriffs, all the while knowing that someone was staring at him for the majority of where he sat, until the offending eyes were told to approach the creature and bow.

He only got up to get into line when it was time for the rest of the class to pet them and Alice found himself behind Draco, who had bowed and went to pet his beak.

"I bet you’re not dangerous at all, are you?” he said to the hippogriff. “Are you, you great ugly--”

The entire action was faster than he realized it, and upon Draco insulting the Hippogriff, Alice had jolted forward to shove Draco out of the way of its talons, being the one who was sliced with the hippogriff's talons instead of the other boy. There was a loud scream and Alice had collapsed, wincing at the pain in his arm. He never saw so much blood before and it made him feel ill, his head dizzying.

Draco was on the ground staring wide-eyed at Alice and his bloody robes, realizing that if he never shoved him than it would have been him. “He’s dying!” He cried out.

“No he ain’t!” Hagrid shouted after getting a hold of Buckbeak, going over to Alice to lift him up easily. He was white from what had happened, “Someone help me--”

Draco got up quickly, hurrying after Hagrid, “I’m going to let my father know about this! That beast almost killed my _best friend_!”

Harry watched on, hearing the Slytherins that were up in arms about what just happened and ignoring them, looking at Ron, who looked just as bewildered.

“Blimey, he just--shoved Malfoy out of the way.”

“We all just saw that. He didn’t even think about it, just up and acted on it.” Harry moved forward to where Blackwood’s bag and books were, kneeling down to pick up everything. The last book was a sketchbook, with a perfectly done sketch of Buckbeak and a wizard, Harry, bowing to each other. He closed the book and picked it up, hurrying after Hagrid and Malfoy while the rest of the class wasn’t that far behind.

* * *

It was just a split-second decision that brought him a horrible pain in his arm right after, however it somehow promoted him to be Draco Malfoy’s _best friend_ . He was amused that to become Draco Malfoy’s _best_ friend, one had to _sacrifice their life to protect his_ \- which the blonde had told everyone what had happened, in those exact words, when other Slytherins asked him about his bandaged arm.

By lunch, everyone knew about the embellished story on how Alice Blackwood saved his friend’s life and how Draco was going to repay him by getting that creature put down.

“You’re not going to tell anyone to kill that creature!” Alice hissed out, “He attacked you because you _insulted it_ , you provoked him!”

“He wouldn’t have attacked me if that big oaf had put him under better restraints.” Draco said defensively, “I’m doing you a favor, that thing could very well put anyone else in danger!”

“If you have him put down I refuse to play quidditch with you,” Alice told him, glaring slightly.

Draco shot him a dumbfounded look, “Over a wild beast?”

“You heard me.” Alice wasn’t backing off on his promise, and from the pout on Draco’s face, it seemed to have some weight to it. Eventually, the blonde conceded, rolling his eyes.

“Your loyalties are quite skewed, but if you insist, I won’t tell my father to have the creature put down.”

Alice calmed down then, finally smiling. “That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” He glanced over on the other side of him, frowning at the fork of food next to his face. “I can feed myself just fine, Pansy.”

The girl pouted, putting the fork back down.

* * *

Alice’s first potion’s lesson with his godfather was...interesting. Not at all what his last potion’s professor was, a kindhearted old woman that doted on her students like they were her children. Professor Snape was harsh and cold, expected perfection and results. There were a fair few that weren’t able to perform to his standards, some slight Gryffindors, Harry Potter included, and sadly, himself.

He knew he was being carried by Draco the entire time they were sitting together. Draco would interject before he did something to ruin his own batch and correct him on either how to prepare the ingredients, or how to stir the potion. Alice wasn’t good at potions at any shape or form, but this was where his unexpected friendship with Draco Malfoy became his advantage, with how he watched Snape bark at Longbottom and Potter. In the end, his potion came out acceptable, which was all he could ask for, Draco’s, however, was perfect.

It was nearly time to leave and Alice went about cleaning his station, only to be stopped by Professor Snape.

“Return here after dinner.”

The way he said it meant there was no room for bargaining or calling in for a rain-check, so Alice nodded, finishing cleaning up his work to find Draco waiting at the door for him along with his bodyguards.

“What did he want?” The blonde inquired as soon as Alice joined him.

“He wants to speak to me later,” Alice shrugged, “I don’t really know why.”

Their next class was better than the last, in his opinion, as Professor Lupin took them to the teacher’s lounge to deal with a boggart. Spellcasting was something he was a little better at than potions, him and Draco debating on what their own boggart would be and making small bets as to who would get it right, however, neither of them attempted to deal with the boggart, as well as anyone else in Slytherin, didn’t wish to have their greatest fears displayed out for everyone to see. It was a matter of vulnerability.

He was out of the bandages by dinner, wherein Pansy insisted on sitting next to him for small talk that consisted of her batting her eyelashes and giggling at him while Draco rolled his eyes from the attention. It made Alice uncomfortable, as someone who couldn’t deal with girls that well. Not that he hated them, he didn't find them all that interesting. He tried to ignore it, carrying on with Draco and Theodore for the entire meal before he had to go meet with Snape.

Snape was quick, as he was already there when Alice had arrived. He remembered clearly that he left before his professor, but he decided not to say anything about it, following him into his office and sitting down in a chair.

“Is this about yesterday?” He asked, looking up at Snape. The man looked irritated at the subject.

“The less you speak of the details of your family will be the better for the both of us. If you haven’t understood it by now, most Slytherins are from old pureblood families that do not hold high opinions about muggles or muggleborns.”

Alice remembered how Draco kept calling a certain Gryffindor a mudblood more often than not. “I think I understand. I’ve come to the conclusion that no one knows that the Snape line is no-maj, isn’t it?”

Severus glowered at him, however, he really couldn’t berate him for it could he? Alice was smart enough to understand the risks and the consequences. He never thought he’d have to take care of a blood relative in his life, yet his own father didn’t say much about his life before he met his mother, and so he grew up thinking that Tobias Snape was an only child. Who knew that he had a brother? By the looks of Alice, the telltale black hair was a theme in his family. If it weren’t for his eyes or nose, Snape would probably be looking at his thirteen-year-old self.

“I expect you not to let anything slip.” He said then, watching the boy. “You’ll be putting both our names through the mud.”

“Pun intended?” Alice tried a smile, in which he hadn’t got anything in return. “Don’t worry sir, I’m not really willing to spill anything, not when my best friend is a pureblood elite.”

Professor Snape went quiet then, looking at his arm. “Roll up your sleeve.”

Alice looked down at his arm and sighed, pulling his sleeve back to show him the scar. “It healed up nicely I think.”

Snape nodded slowly, “I also heard that you’ve decided not to press any charges against that creature.”

“Well it’s not really fair isn’t it?” He rolled his sleeve down, “Draco insulted it, giving the hippogriff a reason to attack him. If I didn’t take the hit then it would probably be getting a death sentence.”

Professor Snape didn’t answer that, just mulling over his answer and standing up, “I’m sure you have homework to do, and do me a favor - don’t use Draco as a crutch in potions and learn to do everything correctly yourself.”

Alice stood up, smiling. “I’m not making any promises.” He said then, turning away to leave the office.

Within the month Alice began to fully settle into being in Hogwarts, although with a hitch. Sometimes, he knew he had eyes on him, but he just didn’t know who. He would have thought more about it but he was used to at least one person staring at him strangely, so he ended up shrugging it off. Though, because Draco didn’t tell his father about Buckbeak, he was now obligated to try out for Quidditch. The team eyed him and those who were with him with scrutiny, all but Draco, who looked smug and confident that his friend could benefit the team. Alice proved that his ratio in scoring was as honest as he said it was, being able to outsmart the keeper into allowing his goals to go through. At the end of the qualifications, Alice had successfully gotten a position on the team, but he wasn’t as happy as his friend.

Alice recalled his first two years at Ilvermorny, that he was just an ordinary student with nothing special about him. His parents were Aurors, his father putting him through extensive training to become like them. This was some sort of culture shock now that he was at Hogwarts. His family ties with the Slytherin head of house had brought him attention, and with the one act of selflessness during Care of Magical Creatures he suddenly was entitled the best friend of one of the most popular Slytherin third-years. Honestly, if anything else happened to him he wouldn’t know how to deal with it.

Near the end of September he decided to learn what he could about the one boy his best friend was slightly obsessed with. He had to go to an outside source for the questions, lest word would get back to Draco. The boy was so intent on not giving him any detail, just promising that he wasn’t worth knowing. He caught up with the one person who helped him on the train, the current Head Boy. He didn’t seem all that surprised about Alice not knowing who he was, and in turn, not knowing who You-Know-Who was.

“You-Know-Who?” Alice repeated, “No, I don’t know who.”

“He Who Must Not Be Named.” Percy clarified for him, having trouble trying to clarify the description. “You bloody Americans don’t know anything, do you?” He pulled out a notepad and a quill, writing something down and tearing the paper away.

Alice took the paper that was offered, reading the scribble, “Voldemort--”

“ _Not so loud_!” He snatched the paper back, aware of people staring at the two of them. “Harry Potter had killed him when he was just a baby, it was all over the papers. There was a grand celebration, the whole works.”

Alice quirked a brow, “How does a baby kill a powerful wizard?”

“The killing curse was deflected off of him, if you notice, he has a scar on his forehead. Now if you need to know more than what I’ve told you you’re going to have to do some digging, I don’t really wish to go on and on about hearsay involving a friend of the family. All I want to do is warn you.”

“Warn me?”

“There’s supposedly a dark wizard who has escaped Azkaban intent on murdering him, the same man who betrayed Harry’s parents to You-Know-Who.”

“You’re joking. Is that why there’s so many dementors running about?” Alice looked around again, remembering the train when it stopped so suddenly because of said creatures. “I never really asked why, I just assumed that was normal.”

“This is certainly not normal, no school would willingly have dementors flying about.” Percy grabbed his bag, “Now if you excuse me, I have work to do.”

Alice nodded, deciding to stay on the bench while Percy left the courtyard. He pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil, as he had a free period.

Now that he knew the basics, he started to think. Why was Potter treated so special for doing basically nothing? Babies couldn’t really do anything but cry and wee in their nappies. Alice chuckled to himself, sketching a small swaddled baby with a wand. Now if Harry Potter had actively crawled over to Voldemort and cast a curse at the age of one, then perhaps there’d be a reason to treat him differently.

All the while Alice was sketching he was laughing every now and again, the image of a baby wielding a wand quite funny in his opinion. When he was almost done he finally zoned in on his surroundings, realizing that he was being watched. Alice blinked, closing his book and glancing off to the side.

Speak of the devil.

“Can I help you?” Alice called out to him, putting his pencil away. From the way it looked, Potter wasn’t trying to be noticed, flinching when he was addressed and deciding to show himself. He looked awkward just standing there, as if he was found peeping.

“I uh--” He fumbled with his hands, not knowing what to do with them. “Blackwood, right?”

“Speaking.” Alice smiled slightly, “Potter, correct?”

Potter looked apprehensive, mostly because the boy he was speaking to was the closest friend to a Slytherin he neither liked or cared for. He was half-expecting some insults being hurled his way but instead Alice only looked slightly amused at his presence. “I heard about what you did for Hagrid.” He began, stepping closer. “I’ve been meaning to--thank you. You see, Hagrid’s my friend and...”

Alice waved it off, “I wouldn’t put a creature in danger for doing what it instinctively knows what to do. I’m just happy I took the hit and not him.”

Potter looked at him strangely, not expecting that from a Slytherin. “Well, um...thank you. I’m sure Buckbeak thanks you too.”

Alice smiled at him, the gesture just catching Potter off guard. Slytherins never smiled at him. He was about to leave, but something nagged at the back of his head. “Is it really true that you don’t know who I am?” He questioned then.

“Well I don’t really see what the big deal is about.” Alice told him honestly, “I mean being put on a pedestal for something you had no control over, that’s silly isn’t it?”

Potter let out a hesitant laugh and shook his head, “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Potter!”

Alice and Potter looked over at the voice and saw Draco storming over to them, glaring daggers at Potter as he approached the two of them and shoved him back. “Go back to your Gryffindor lackey, you’re not wanted.”

Alice frowned, perplexed at the explosive reaction. Potter took one last look at Alice and raised his hands up, showing that he wasn’t holding his wand. “I was just leaving.” He said to Draco, stepping away from the other and heading back into the castle.

“Where were you? I was looking for you all over the castle!” Draco proceeded to go over to him as if Potter was never there to begin with, taking the seat next to Alice.

Alice pulled out his sketchbook, smiling. “Do me a favor.” He got up to drag Draco forward, over to the stone fountain in the center of the courtyard, “Now just sit there for a moment.” Alice went back to his bench and took out his pencil.

Draco instantly knew what he was doing, crossing his legs and settling his chin in his hand. “Are you serious?”

“Good pose, keep it there but turn your head to the side, like you’re staring off in the distance.” He instructed, watching as Draco eventually did as he was told.

“It better be worth my time.” Draco finally told him, glancing every now and then to see Alice fully concentrated in his sketch. He held the position for quite some time, only breaking it when he became impatient. “Are you done yet?”

“Feel free to move if you need to, I can get the rest off of memory.” Alice said distractedly, having not looked up from his book in five minutes. He still didn’t look up, not seeing Draco saunter back over to him so he could look at what Alice was drawing.

Alice seemed to know what he was doing, catching all the features in Draco’s face down perfectly, from the elegant lines to the emotion that he conveyed. The Draco in his sketch was staring into the distance with boredom, which conveyed what he felt while he was there at the time. Nothing was out of place, from the pleats of his sleeves to the way his hair was combed back.

“You’re quite good.” Draco said approvingly, “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“You mean you haven’t seen me doing this in Care of Magical Creatures?” Alice flipped his pages back, “You’ve been too obsessed with Potter to even notice me.” He teased.

Draco looked offended at the accusation, “I’m not bloody obsessed.” He watched Alice flip through his sketches, quickly snatching the book out of his hands when he saw something interesting. “Hold on!”

“What?” Alice watched him flip through it until he saw what he had caught before, laughing at the sketch of a diapered baby Potter with a wand fending off a shadowy figure.

“I want this one.” Draco told him, “Charm it so that he poops his nappies.”

“And you say you’re not obsessed.” Alice nudged Draco’s shoulder with his.

“Say that again and I’ll jinx your bedsheets.”

* * *

The ongoing perks of being best friends with Draco Malfoy presented themselves on the trip to Hogsmeade, which Alice wasn’t looking forward to. He didn’t have that much money on him to begin with. His father, being pureblood, was only rich up until he ran away to join the US Navy, while his mother had nary a cent to her name. It wasn’t that he was poor, it was that his parents liked to stretch out their money as far as it would go. He was all too aware of his financial situation during his years at Ilvermorny, which most of his supplies came from second-hand stores, especially his robes. It earned him a lot of ridicule with the richer families. The only good and new thing he ever got in his life was his Nimbus Two-Thousand, in which his father had gotten him insisting that he deserved a broom for quidditch that was one of the best. He figured that the debt was worth it when Alice would win Horned Serpent the Quidditch Cup.

Now that he was in the care of Professor Snape he was expecting the same, as this man he never met before worked on meager teacher’s earnings, and not being prepared to take a child into his home, he expected second-hand everything again. His robes were practically new, something he never expected to have, which made him look practically normal. Nevermind that his books and other supplies weren’t brand-new, however in good condition, he managed to slide past the public shaming of looking poor while he attended Hogwarts.

However, it didn’t seem to matter anymore, his lack of allowance was overlooked by a blonde boy who insisted it was ‘on him’, and because of that he realized just how rich Draco was to offer to pay for anything Alice took a fancy to, which lead the boy down a route where he had to force his friend to stop, because the last thing he wanted was to use Draco as a wallet.

“I don’t see the problem.” Draco told him outright. “You’re my friend, it’s normal to offer to pay for something your friend wants when they can’t afford it.”

“No, not really. If someone offers to pay for one thing than it’s normal, but offering to pay for everything I mention wanting, than it’s excessive. I don’t want to be suddenly known as the boy who’s using you for gifts.”

“You’re not using me if I’m offering.”

“We come from two entirely different backgrounds, Draco.” Alice sighed, pausing for a moment and thinking. “How about, I stop arguing with you, but if you insist on buying me things you have to stop making fun of Weasley for being poor.”

Draco looked at Alice as if he was crazy, “You want me to what?”

“You heard me.” He smiled, “Are you my friend or not? I was very much in Weasley’s shoes back at Ilvermorny, he deserves not to be taunted because of something he can’t control.”

“The next thing you’re going to ask me is to stop calling Granger a mudblood and treat Potty with respect.” Draco ground out, dropping his candy on the counter.

Alice rolled his eyes, “I’m not asking you to treat Gryffindors kindly, this is my ultimatum. If you insist on paying for me, then do what I ask.” He kept the small amount of candy he had in his hands, watching Draco expectantly.

Draco hesitated for a moment, scowling at him before grabbing Alice’s candy and adding it to the pile. “You’re lucky that I like you.”

He wasn’t aware of the twins behind them, Padma and Parvati Patil, whispering to each other after overhearing the conversation, stepping up to pay for their candy after the two Slytherins had left before hurrying out, Parvati parting with her sister to find Lavender.

The rest of Hogsmeade was decent for Alice, enjoying butterbeers with Draco and Pansy, Blaise, and the two lumbering masses that were Vincent and Gregory. When it was time to go back inside Alice could feel those eyes on him again, which while he was used to it, felt annoying after a while. He glared off in the direction before realizing who was watching, avoiding the ginger boy’s quizzical stare and resuming his walk.

He didn’t really understand what the fuss was about.

* * *

Word from the Gryffindors was that Sirius Black had tried to get into their common room, which meant that every student in Hogwarts were to sleep in the great hall. Alice kept quiet as all the students talked, him looking at Draco occasionally and noticing how nervous he was. Of course he was nervous, there was a madman inside of Hogwarts. Everyone, however, knew the details about it, how he was after Potter. To Alice, it only said that there was nothing to worry about on his end. He conveyed that to Draco, which seemed to relieve the other’s worries. He expected Draco to make some sort of snarky remark at Potter’s expense, that he hoped Black would eventually kill him or something similar, but to Alice’s amazement he didn’t say anything about it. Other than that day in potions, where Draco expressed that if he was Potter, he’d go out hunting him down, he never said anything more about it. Why torment someone who already has death knocking at his door?

Alice began to hear about the crazed killer more and more after that night, people coming up with various ideas that would lead him into the castle. Even Draco offered in his assumptions, which joined the others in sounding implausible. There was only one idea he had, something that he learned about during Transfiguration. Alice thought about talking about it but in the end he didn’t really care. The crazed killer wasn’t after him or anyone he gave a damn about, and with all the security, he would soon be caught.

He had better things to worry about anyway, like the upcoming Quidditch match that he and his teammates practiced for weeks. He was prepared for it, going into their last practice and hoping to play in the hectic weather that was being provided. It was something about torrential downpours and thunderstorms that always got Alice excited, all the thrill of flying in the natural element where anything could happen. Upon expressing his love for this weather Draco had called him mad. However, in the middle of practice the team was forced to come to a stop, most of the teammates complaining about not being able to see the bludgers in the rain and even Draco expressing that he couldn’t see the snitch. The weather was too horrendous to play a game normally, and the only one who was up for the challenge was Alice.

He just didn’t realize how intent they were about not playing on Saturday when the team huddled in the changing rooms, all of them dripping wet with waterlogged goggles. Alice had to slip his down from his face, while his hair was plastered to his head and making him look more like Professor Snape’s child.

“Blackwood!” Flint snapped suddenly, deep in thought, “How’s your arm? Still injured?”

Alice blinked, raising his arm, “It had healed weeks ago--” He almost waved it before Draco reached up to pull it back down.

“What? You’re still gravely hurt?”

Even though they were in the changing room, the wind and rain was still loud enough to block out their voices, but when Alice opened his mouth again Draco had elbowed him in the stomach. “He’s pretty hurt.” Draco told the Captain loudly, “He wakes up at night screaming.”

“I have not--”

“I’ll be going to Diggory, then Wood, tell him he’s playing Hufflepuff on Saturday.” Flint decided then, taking off to head over to Madam Hooch.

Alice gaped at his friend, “I don’t wake up at night screaming you asshole!”

“Shh!” Draco pulled his friend away from the doorway, “If we play on Saturday we’re liable to lose, now just pretend your arm still mending or we won’t get a pass.”

Alice opened his mouth to argue but shut it, realizing that the rest of the team was casting him dirty looks, as if daring him to say anything against Flint’s decision. The boy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Fine, fine.”

* * *

Christmas holiday was quickly coming up, a time where normally, Alice would be planning to go home to his parents. He quickly caught himself at the thought of going back home to see his mom and dad, slowly realizing that he didn’t have them to go to anymore. He began to smile, then he began to laugh. He couldn’t help but laugh, almost going into hysterics until he was in tears. It was a weird sight, a thirteen year old boy laughing at the death of his parents until he was in tears. He had to force himself to calm down, taking breaths. In and out. In and out. He only sat there until he managed to wipe all the tears away. When he finally left the stall he went up to check his reflection in the mirror, noting how red his eyes looked. “Shit.” He went about splashing some water on his face, hoping that no one would notice how awful he looked. Hopefully no one got the wrong idea.

By the time he returned only one person seemed to have noticed him missing, the most obvious one. Draco, thankfully, didn’t call attention to his state, knowing his current situation and instead of commenting on it aloud, he leaned in to whisper. “Honestly, I don’t understand how you’re still standing. If it were me, I would be in shambles.”

Alice shrugged lightly, “It’s different for everyone.” He whispered, returning to his meal. Definitely different for everyone, especially him.

Draco took a moment to think about it before leaning back in again, “Where are you going during Christmas holiday?”

After realizing he wasn’t really all the hungry anymore, Alice put down his fork and pushed the plate away. “Professor Snape plans to stay at the castle, so I guess I’m stuck here.”

“Oh.” Draco looked hesitant, as if he was battling over this entire offer he was going to make. He steeled himself, “Well, I’ve been corresponding with my father, and I’ve often spoke about you…” Draco couldn’t meet his eyes, “He wants...to meet you.”

Alice looked over at Draco, and it was obvious by his apprehension that Draco did not want Alice to meet his father. “When?”

“Well...he wishes for you to come to Malfoy Manor for Christmas. He’s already owled Professor Snape about it.” There was an unknown emotion that underlined the statement, as if Draco explaining it was a code for Alice that he wasn’t allowed to say no. How powerful was the patriarch of the Malfoy family that his requests had no refusal?

“I’m going to have to think about it.” Alice eventually told him after a moment of quiet, noticing the small nervous ticks that his friend was making, the way he could feel his leg bouncing next to his own while his nails drummed on the wood. There were warning flags going off in his head and Alice decided to ask his godfather about the man, waiting until after supper to make his way to Snape’s personal quarters, waiting patiently at the door until it was unlocked from the other side.

“In.”

Alice gradually opened the door and stepped inside, taking in how dark the room was, save for the roaring fireplace providing warmth to a normally cold room. Alice sat down in a chair, trying to think of the best way to ask his question.

“So a funny thing happened.” Alice began, “Not so funny when you consider the source, but I was invited over to Malfoy’s house, and apparently his dad already contacted you.”

Snape was at the kitchenette in the corner of the dungeon, brewing something where a cauldron sat in the center table.

“I don’t understand how it’s a funny story.” He commented, refusing to look away from what he was doing.

“It’s funny in the way that he said it. His voice was level enough but the way he was acting told me that he didn’t want this to happen.” He folded his arms, feeling a cold chill even if he was sitting next to the fireplace. “Is there something about Mr. Malfoy that I need to know?”

“The fact that you’re astute enough to notice minor details like facial expressions and body language tells me that you’re not a stupid child.” He looked pleased at that one fact, “Your concern is understandable. Lucius Malfoy is a cause for concern and I don’t want you to go inside the manor blind.”

Alice finally had to stand up, moving to where Professor Snape was. “How bad is this guy?”

Snape’s eyes flickered up at him for a split second, “You’ve managed to skirt the prejudices of your own house quite well, it is only for the fact that you’ve befriended Draco that Lucius had taken an interest in you. It’s both a good thing and a bad thing. The good meaning if you proceed to impress him, he will put you in his good graces. However, the bad part is that you do not have any room to mess up. You’re dealing with one of the great wizarding families in Britain, you will be judged if you’re worthy of staying in contact with Draco.”

Alice frowned, “I’m his friend, I’m not dating the damn kid!”

“You are an outsider.” Snape drawled, “You’re an American boy with a surname tied to American pureblood elites. If he were to know your mother was a muggle-born witch and your father was a blood traitor than not only do you risk your name becoming tainted, that you are risking my standing.” He managed a slight glare his way, “I’ve garnered respect with Lucius Malfoy, and you will not ruin any of that.”

Alice didn’t understand any of this, “I...don’t understand this. I thought my house was just...for those with cunning, ambition, and resourcefulness. How am I suddenly thrust into a game of class politics?”

“You’ve become a part of it once you were sorted into this house.” Snape explained cooly, “Slytherin’s history is based on class politics, everyone in Slytherin looks out for their own until there is reason to cast them aside. There hasn’t been a muggle-born inside of Slytherin for ages, and it’s looked at as the house for only the wisely selected.” He stopped stirring and went to put the burner on low. “I was in your position when I was your age. An outsider looking in, and I’ve had to choose my path in this house in order to survive. You’ve already chosen your path, at Draco Malfoy’s side as his school companion, and a friend like that will open many doors for you. Lucius is only making sure you are worthy enough to use his son.”

Snape went back towards the fireplace, next to a bookshelf to browse the books, pulling a couple out. All the while Alice’s head was spinning, “What do you mean worthy enough to use his son? I’m not his friend in order to use him!”

“No one’s a true friend in Slytherin, Alice. Everyone’s looking out for themselves and the company they keep determine their safety. Trust me, if they knew about your family, those ‘friends’ of yours would turn on you in a split second. You don’t see any other Slytherin student spending time with any other house, do you?”

“Well, not really, but--”

“Slytherins. Look. Out. For. Themselves.” Snape thrust his arm out towards him, in his hand was a book. “Read this and give it back to me when you’re done.”

Alice frowned, looking over the title, “Salazar Slytherin’s History and Legacy.”

“It will give you a better idea of what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Alice nodded glumly, sitting back down to crack open the book.

“Not here!” Snape snapped, pointing at the door.

Alice got up as fast as he sat down, rounding the chair and heading out the door. He kept the book close to himself and made his way back to the Slytherin common room, looking over at the few students that were there.

He still couldn’t fathom it, that Slytherins were only driven by old pureblood values and not everyone was being honest. He looked back down at the book again and sighed, making his way to the boys’ dorm.

Horned Serpent was a lot more straight-forward.

* * *

Between that night and packing up to leave on the train, Alice began to learn about the history of Slytherin and his house, and just why everyone sounded so dodgy. He still didn’t feel ready to confront Lucius Malfoy after reading the book, but at least put everything into perspective. On the carriage ride to the train, Alice sat with Draco, looking at the white blanket of snow that was decorating the grounds. At the corner of his eye he caught a shaggy looking dog, who seemed to stop at the sight of him and bare his teeth threateningly. Alice quickly looked away after that, not really knowing what just happened.

“--Alice!”

“What?”

“I’m trying to tell you something.” Draco hissed out, “Now when you get to the manor, do as I say. Follow my lead. If my father addresses you always end your sentences with “Sir.” If he asks you questions it’s either yes or no. Don’t embellish! Don’t try to crack jokes. Keep your posture correct. Don’t keep eye contact for more than you have to. My mother won’t be as strict, it will be okay to relax around her. Hopefully father won’t be around that long.”

Alice shifted in his seat, “I feel like I’m going to be in front of a firing squad.”

“Another thing,” Draco pointed out, “Don’t use those muggle sayings you keep using. Act like a pureblood wizard, instead of saying Holy Shit how about Merlin’s Balls. Try not to act too American either.”

“I was born American!” Alice cried out, “How am I supposed to act less like myself?”

“Just--follow my lead and do as I do.” Draco finally decided, sighing. He looked like he had been thinking about this for a few days, which made Alice realize that Draco wanted his friend to stay as his friend.

“Awe, Dwakey-poo, you want me to impress your daddy.” Alice said in a condescending cutesy voice that Pansy would use, smiling sweetly at him.

Draco glowered at him, going red slightly. “None of _this_ either.”

“Somewone wants to be my best fwiend forever and ever.” Alice teased.

“I will hex your hair off.”

“Only if you kiss my booboo and make it better Dwakey-poo-diddle.”

“Stop it.”

It was a fun banter that lasted up until the carriage stopped, both boys heading to the train. Again, Alice caught the shaggy looking dog looming at the Hogsmeade station, just staring at him wildly. When Alice attempted to approach it, the hound growled threateningly.

“Fine, suit yourself.” He said to the dog, brushing his hair out of his eyes and returning to Draco’s side.

* * *

Changing out of his uniform he decided to go with the nicest clothes he owned, which were completely black. The lack of color seemed to accent his long arms and legs, and Draco made a snide comment about him looking almost like Professor Snape. It was this oddly running theme, why did people think they looked similar? It was probably his hair, but the only difference was that he wasn’t over a cauldron most of his waking life. Honestly, before moving to Cokeworth, he was attempting to grow his hair out, not to look like a man who was his mother’s cousin.

The similarities continued upon leaving the train, while Alice and Draco came upon who he figured to be his friend’s parents, given their platinum blonde hair. The mother had to do a double-take, whispering in her husband’s ear while Lucius had a thoughtful eye. Alice swallowed thickly and stood up straighter than he usually did, trying not to fuck up their first meeting.

“You must be Mr. Blackwood.” Lucius began, his hands carefully placed upon his cane. Something told Alice that he didn’t really need one and it was for show. He smiled pleasantly at the two of them, glancing quickly at Draco and seeing him stiff as a board.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy.” He threw in a bow for extra points, something that made Mrs. Malfoy chuckle.

“It’s uncanny.” She said amusedly, “Are you sure you’re not Severus’s son, dear boy?”

Alice looked over at Draco again for any sign, getting nothing. “My father is very distinctive in my mind, and that would imply that my mother had--” He stopped himself when Draco stepped on his foot, backtracking what he just said and smiling politely, “I’m afraid not, Ma’am.”

“Pity.” The woman lamented suddenly. “Severus Snape is an old family friend, do you think…” She looked at her husband, as if he knew what she was thinking, Lucius looking back at her and chuckling coldly.

“Not now, Cissy.”

Alice didn’t know what was going on in the slightest, looking at Draco again and down at the shoe on his own. Draco seemed to notice him looking, promptly removing it with a mumbled apology.

“Enough pleasantries, I’m sure that these boys had a long trip.” Narcissa said softly, clasping her hands together. “Shall we?”

Alice picked up his trunk when Draco did, thinking about what type of car the two of them owned. He guessed something like a mercedes-benz, something classy. Instead of going through the brick-wall, however, they were led into another room that he never noticed before, containing rows and rows of shelves with strange identifiable objects. They looked like old muggle items, shoes, tin cans, anything throw-away, sitting on those shelves with names underneath.

“Where’s the car?” Blurted out Alice before he thought about it.

The two adults looked at him oddly and Narcissa was the only one to laugh pleasantly, “Dearie, we don’t use muggle contraptions, that may be fine for others, but not for us. This,” She gestured to the room, “Is a designated port-key area.”

Narcissa pointed Alice to a certain port-key, one that looked more clean than the others, one that stood out. Under it read ‘Malfoy’, and Alice had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes. Of course they wouldn’t touch a dirty port-key.

Lucius checked his watch, “We have one minute.”

Narcissa picked it up and held it over to the boys, “Alice touch the port-key and do you best not to let go.”

Easier said than done. Alice grinned sheepishly and touched it, his hand coming into contact with Draco’s. It wasn’t his first time with a port-key, using one to get all the way across the pond. He didn’t like it one bit and it made him violently ill right after. He only hoped that he’d keep his lunch down this time. Vomiting right in front of the Malfoy family didn’t sound like a very good way to introduce yourself.

Lucius continued checking his watch, only touching it when there were five seconds remaining. Alice gripped his trunk in his hands and shut his eyes, and there it was, the feeling of being sucked in. He kept his eyes clenched tight and made sure he was grasping the portkey, and in an instant he felt weightless, as if gravity was going to collapse onto him. He landed with a heavy thud, stumbling slightly and quickly grabbing Draco to steady himself, the wave of sickness stirring in his belly. He tried to will himself to withhold from puking on his friend, and from the looks of it Draco was doing the same.

“Sit down.” Draco instructed, pushing him back into a chair, “Wimsy!” He called out.

CRACK, there was a house-elf at Draco’s side. It didn’t seem to talk at all, only looking at Draco expectantly.

“Some Chamomile tea for my friend, please hurry.”

CRACK. The house-elf was gone.

Don’t puke, don’t puke, it’s not polite to puke. The longer he repeated that in his head the less he felt like doing it, hearing the CRACK once again and suddenly he was presented tea by a small house-elf with a toga. He accepted it gratefully and drank it. All the while, the two parents were watching on with detached amusement.

“You may take their luggage to their rooms now.” Lucius told the house-elf.

Said house-elf nodded obediently and vanished along with their trunks.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked.

Alice took a moment to assess himself, “I no longer feel the urge to vomit, so I must be okay.” He grinned sheepishly, “Thanks for the tea.” He finally stood up, taking in the room. It was a mostly empty room that looked to be used for port-keys, only a couple of chairs were available to sit in. Thank goodness he didn’t get sick, the carpet looked more expensive than his broom.

Narcissa smiled politely, “Shall we?”

Alice looked over and could feel Lucius’s cold stare burrow into his soul. He swallowed thickly, nodding. “We shall.”

He expected questions during the first day he was there, or at least the first week, but instead of questions he and Draco were on their own to interact with each other, but all the while he felt eyes on him, cold calculating and judgemental eyes. Either they were being spied on or it was a trap to lure him into a false sense of security, but nevertheless he didn’t allow it to bother him, acting normally with Draco and being the best damn friend he could ever be. Exploring the entire manor was a thrill in itself, with so many hidden doors and chambers, and places he couldn’t ever trespass which only made him all the more curious. With a house this big, there could be anything down below. Outside of his father’s gaze, Draco was decent to be around. It was only when he and his father were in the same room that everything seemed to skew. Draco became less talkative and more like the perfect son. It wasn’t Draco, the personality seemed off. He looked like he had to answer questions accordingly or his father would torment him.

His Christmas Eve dinner with the Malfoys, for example:

“Tell me, Draco.” Lucius wasn’t even looking at his son, enjoying some wine after eating. “Is that mudblood witch still better than you this year?”

Alice knew who Lucius meant, the seemingly smartest girl in the school that he complained about multiple times.

“She seems to be taking all the courses this year, and somehow is still doing better than me--sir.” Draco mumbled.

“You do realize that your family name is at stake, do you? A mudblood gaining favor over a Malfoy would make us the laughing stock of the pureblood community.”

Alice put down his fork, “Realistically she’s quite impossible to catch up to.” He said aloud, causing Draco to snap his head at him with a look of panic while Lucius quirked a brow his way. Narcissa only smirked.

“How so?” She questioned.

“Well, I’ve noticed her. The swot practically lives out of books. The bags under her eyes and her erratic motions tell me that she sacrifices sleep to study, and is probably taking more than the recommended dosage of pepper-up potions to deal with it. She’s never anywhere without a book in her face, she even eats and reads. Honestly, she works twice the rate of the best student at Hogwarts, namely, Draco.” He shrugged, “I wouldn’t even put her on the same level as any of them, she’s mostly another category of her own.”

Draco’s jaw dropped for a moment before he shut his mouth completely, looking at his father. Lucius looked intrigued at the boy’s perspective.

“Interesting. So what you’re saying is that she’s an abnormality.”

“Pretty much, sir.” Alice replied, “I wouldn’t really worry about her much, if you just take her out of the equation than your son is still the best one. In the end, she doesn’t matter. She’d sooner kill herself via sleep deprivation, or get sent to the hospital as a recovery patient.”

Draco couldn’t help but laugh, covering it up quickly.

“How astute of you.” Lucius said amusedly, “Tell me, where do you base all of your information?”

Alice’s back straightened, “We had a lot of those back in Ilvermorny, students who would be so intent on getting high grades that they often snuck in illegal drugs to help them stay awake. There’s a no-maj--I mean, muggle drug called speed, it’s normally caffeine, and just a few of those pills will keep you wired for hours. They ended up taking them more than they needed to and would end up in the infirmary because they dropped like a rock.”

Narcissa put a hand over her mouth, “Muggle drugs?”

“It happens.” Alice didn’t look so bothered about it. “I was in Horned Serpent, we’re all about the mind.” He tapped his head.

Lucius nodded slowly, frowning slightly. “I would figure Ilvermorny would have muggle influences when one of its co-founders is a muggle themselves. Disgusting.”

Narcissa watched how Draco stared at Alice and the smile that Alice gave him, chuckling to herself. “I believe it’s time to send you two off to bed.” She instructed them. “Go on.”

“Yes mother.” Draco said automatically, getting out of his chair and waiting for Alice to join him. Once they were out of the room Draco slapped his arm, “I can’t believe you said all that!” He hissed out.

“What?” Alice blinked, ascending the staircase with him, “I’m only telling him what I think might happen.”

“That’s brilliant!” Draco grinned, “So you’re saying that Granger might overdose herself into Saint Mungos?”

“Either that or explode under the pressure.” Alice shrugged.

Draco laughed again, taking Alice to his room, which was right next to Draco’s. He remembered the first day he had seen it, still quite astounded over its size.

_“This is where you’re sleeping.” He said then, presenting Alice with the spacious room and a bed that could fit a family of five. He never seen a bed that huge before. He looked at Draco to ask if he was joking but his friend wasn’t, grinning at Alice’s amazement._

_“What do you mean this is my room?” He walked further into the room, “This is bigger than my current house!”_

_“Where do you live?” Draco followed him, moving to sit on the bed. “No one knows where Professor Snape lives, we reckoned that he lived inside of Hogwarts.”_

_“I wasn’t there for long, but the house is about two bedrooms. We live by this disgusting smelling river. It used to be an old mill town but I have a feeling it’s mostly abandoned.”_

_Draco didn’t looked surprised at the revelation, “I don’t understand wizards who want to live in muggle places.”_

_“Some of them are used to it. I used to live five miles out of a major no-maj city, it was only mom, dad and myself. Dad created this large field for me to practice quidditch in - made sure I was prepared for every position. Our house was bigger than the one I live in now, but not as huge as yours. It was quaint.”_

He stopped reflecting after that, looking morose again. He sat on the bed and laid back, sighing. “Professor Snape saved my life.”

Draco looked back at him, “How so?”

Alice stared at the ceiling, “I was told that if they didn’t find a blood relative that I would have been put into a foster care system. I have no idea how wizards do it but for No-Maj I heard of really horrible outcomes. I was really scared that I’d be forced to become a no-maj and go to that. They discovered that my mother had named a godfather for me, who was Professor Snape. I didn’t really expect him to say yes, but he did.”

Draco nodded, “I’m...kinda glad he did too.” He said quietly, finally getting off the bed. “Goodnight, Alice.”

* * *

When it was Morning Alice woke up to something jumping on him, his eyes snapping open to hit whatever it was only to discover it was Draco who had attacked him in his sleep.

“Happy Christmas.” He said, “All your presents are down in the drawing room, so are mine.”

“I never took your parents to be the gift-giving type.” Alice commented, rolling over to look at him.

Draco rolled his eyes, shoving Alice so hard that the boy cried out while falling out of the bed.

“I can’t wait to see what you got me.” Draco called out to him as he hurried out of his room. Alice continued to lay on the floor for a moment longer, begrudgingly forcing himself up and heading to his trunk. His clothes from home looked disastrously muggle, and over the week he looked akin to a muggle. Draco often came in to save him after that, and began loaning him a fare share of his own clothes, ones he never liked anymore. It only took some altering by his house-elf to make it look like they fit Alice perfectly. Ah, the benefits of being friends with a Malfoy.

He chose a green turtleneck and some black slacks, hurrying to change into them before searching further into the trunk to pull out the present he planned on giving to Draco, taking it with him and going down to where he remembered the drawing room was. He didn’t really expect to see a tree that was taller than Hagrid, lavishly decorated with silver and blue baubles and glittering fairy lights - which were actually fairies. He stood there for a solid minute staring at the tree itself until a pleasant chuckle tore him away, and he fixed a polite smile over at Narcissa.

“Very pretty tree.” He murmured, starting to notice that Narcissa always wore something white or silver, and her smiles towards him were always secretive, as if she was planning something. She was Draco’s mother, so it was possible. The woman made her way towards him, smirking.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you wearing my son’s clothes.” She said in a quiet voice.

Alice went pink, “I--my clothes aren’t all that--”

“Shh.” She winked at him, “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Alice nodded slowly, heading over to where Draco was perusing the name tags. When he finally looked up he zeroed in on the wrapped present in Alice’s hands, “That’s what I was looking for.” He reached for another gift under the tree, a box with Draco’s name on it. “This is yours.”

“Not yet.” Narcissa chided, “Wait for your father.”

Alice finally sat down, setting his own present on top of Draco’s other gifts. His pile looked bigger than Alice’s, but he could make out gifts from Pansy and Theodore, and one from Millicent and a small one from Professor Snape.

When Lucius finally arrived he had summoned the house-elf for some morning tea, taking a seat next to his wife. With him was that ever-present cane of his, which how Lucius carried it around so much made Alice wonder if it was more than just his cane. He kept his mouth shut for now, it was too early to read mannerisms.

“Alright, boys, have fun.” Narcissa told them, and the two of them took the gifts they got each other and carefully set them aside, saving them for last. Draco began with the gifts from his parents first, which made Alice curious. What did you get the boy who had everything? Obviously not socks.

“Books.” Draco looked at them quizzically. They were blank books, one of them had his name stamped in gold calligraphy, while the other… Draco turned it around, reading that it had Alice’s name on it. “For both of us?”

“You’ve been writing to us about Alice for so many weeks that we were impressed. Draco you haven’t made a close friend in so long. Your books are charmed. One of you will write in yours and it will show up on the other’s book.” Narcissa looked happy about the gift, and by the way she talked about it, she was the one who bought it for them.

Draco grinned and handed Alice’s book over to him, “Thank you mother.” He said honestly.

“Thank you Mrs. Malfoy.” Alice repeated his honest statement, setting the book aside with Draco’s present. After that, his present to Draco sounded so cheap. It was a shame that he wouldn’t be able to afford anything good, and as Draco continued opening his gifts, he realized that he was severely outmatched. He opened his own gifts at a slow pace, reiving swiss chocolates from Pansy and a self-inking quill from Theodore, in which the feather looked taken from a peacock. He quirked a brow at that and set it aside, finding that Blaise’s gift was the most practical, a range of soft to hard graphites in a fancy case and from Milicent was a case of assorted candy. What was with girls and candy? Professor Snape’s gift was simple enough, a stationary set, which left him with the gift from Draco.

He and Draco exchanged looks, each one holding the other’s gift. “On three.” Draco said, counting down until they unwrapped theirs quickly. Alice was faced with a wooden box, opening it and further finding a glass bauble encased in velvet. When he touched it the bauble changed colors, filtering through an amazing array of colors until settling on green. The bauble was small enough to fit in his hand, and he looked at Draco quizzically before setting it down.

Draco was just staring into the silver picture frame in amazement, the sketch in his hand moving on its own, him on a broom catching the snitch, his face grinning in excitement. There were slight colors added to the paper, mostly accenting the sketch but not overwhelming it.

“This was our last match.” Draco said aloud, “How could you draw that? You were in the middle of scoring.”

Alice smiled slightly, “I told you before, I can sketch perfectly from memory. I watched you catch that snitch and how you looked when it happened.”

“And you--I didn’t know sketches could move.”

Narcissa snuck forward to take the picture out of his hand, showing it to Lucius.

“To animate a sketch you need to actually sketch the whole animation and spell it together.” Alice said with slight embarrassment, mostly because it basically told Draco that he was sketching the entire scene out like some loser that didn’t have anything else to do.

“I--I can’t believe you did that.” Draco looked over at him, noticing the bauble in the box turning amber in color. “You’re nervous.”

Alice went red, “N-no I’m not!”

“Your mood crystal says you are.” He smirked, pointing at the crystal.

Alice looked down, “It...was green before.” He picked it up again. “Mood crystal?”

“Touching it makes the crystal focus on yourself, and it shows you an array of colors depending on your mood.” He shrugged, “I thought it was amusing.”

Alice watch it turn brown, frowning. He looked up at Draco again and he was still smirking. He didn’t know how to feel about this. He didn’t like his emotions on display. He closed the box after that, setting it aside. “I...it makes my gift look like crap, I can tell you that.”

“That’s not true.” Draco frowned, “You took the time out to work on that. Your gift makes _mine_ look like crap.”

Narcissa chuckled, “I’m quite impressed as well, Alice, you are fantastic. It captures him perfectly.”

Lucius didn’t say anything, watching the two of them. He cleared his throat suddenly and slowly stood up, “If that is all, summon the house-elf to dispose of the trash. Meanwhile, Alice, could you join me in my study?”

Alice could notice the color draining from Draco’s face but said nothing, he was actually preparing himself for this, because thanks to Professor Snape, he knew it was coming.

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Lucius Malfoy’s study was half the size of the family library, but with seemingly twice as many books stacked from corner to corner surrounding a fireplace. There was a desk, two chairs, hardwood flooring with a lavish green carpet. It almost didn’t look inconspicuous. Almost.

They sat across from each other and Alice kept his eyes on the other man, trying to read him. Of all people, Lucius Malfoy didn’t give anything away. He was well controlled in everything he did, body language or facial expressions. That cane was still at his side, confirming his thought that it possessed was something important.

“I was quite impressed with your present, Alice. You drew all that from memory?” He settled his hands on his cane. “I never met anyone with such an exceptional memory.”

Alice didn’t smile, “My father trained me since I was young, took me to places and asked me questions about strange details. Sometimes I just sketched from memory after he would take a picture, testing me on how accurate it was.”

Lucius nodded, “It’s not just your memory that’s impressive is it? You also notice things. The way you described that mudblood girl, for example.”

Alice still didn’t see any tell tale signs from him, and now he knew that Lucius did it on purpose. “You keep yourself unmoving and restrained to make sure no one reads you.” He pointed out, earning a sly smile from the older man.

“What else do you know about me?” He questioned. It sounded like a trick question, but Alice knew it wasn’t. Might as well impress him, Alice thought.

“That cane is precious to you. You don’t have any visible limp or handicap to need it for its intended use.” He noted, “You keep it at your side at all times, so I think that you keep something inside of it. The only thing that comes to mind is a wand, given how narrow it is.”

Lucius grinned then, snapping the top off of his cane to reveal his wand underneath. “Very astute. My son made a good choice on who to associate with. Humor me now, getting your training from your parents must mean they were quite talented themselves. What were they, exactly?”

Alice thought about it, not finding any tell in his answer. “My parents were Aurors. My mom was a greatly skilled cursebreaker, and my dad was the top of his class. He had made a name for himself.”

The older man took that in, deciding to press further. “Something happened to them for you to end up all the way up here.”

Now it was beginning to get invasive, and Alice had a feeling he would keep getting further until he hit gold. “I get asked that often, sir. I’m sure Professor Snape has informed you. Forgive me, I don’t want to rehash the past. I’m trying to move forward.”

It was true, Professor Snape did inform him about the circumstances, and he was curious as to a sudden blood relative had just popped up from nowhere, but he had a feeling the boy wouldn’t tell him anything further. No matter, whatever happened meant he was currently here, in the presence of his son. It wasn’t Harry Potter, but the boy was talented enough with a good enough bloodline relating him to the one and only Severus Snape. He intended to make sure the boy wouldn’t follow in his parent’s footsteps.

Alice didn’t know what he was thinking and quite honestly he was scared to find out, watching him with his own practiced calm and hoping that he passed whatever test that Lucius was performing. When the older man stood so did Alice, brushing off his pants.

“I believe we’re finished for now.” Lucius told him, smirking. “You’ve managed to impress me, congratulations.”

Lucius held the door open for Alice, leading him back towards the forefront of the manor. Something told the boy that he would probably be in this situation again, but thankfully for now he was able to keep calm under the circumstances. His talents weren’t actually a secret, they were brought on my intensive training and strict parenting. In the past, he didn’t think that he ever had a use for the talents his father made sure he nurtured, but now he was slightly thankful that his father took so much time out of his day to make sure Alice wasn’t easily taken for a fool.

After that, Lucius had disappeared, leaving Narcissa to tend to the boys. He preferred Draco’s mother out of the both of them, the only alterior motive she had was contained in the teasing thoughtful smile she had, otherwise she was less intimidating. He realized quickly that Narcissa loved her son with every amount of emotion a mother could give, making him think about his own mother. His own mother stayed at home to care for him up until he learned how to be self-sufficient, and after that he saw her less and less. It was a huge difference, his own family life versus Draco’s. The only similar part was how much of a perfectionist Draco’s father was, expecting the best from his own son.

Alice had been in Draco’s position for twelve years.

After Christmas his demeanor changed, often looking in on the Malfoy family dynamic with a new perspective, picking everything apart to compare it with what he dealt with. Their positions in life were vastly different, Draco being born into a rich pureblood family while Alice was brought up closer to the lower middle class line as possible. He thought about it so much that it began to affect his entire holiday. The only one who noticed a difference was Draco, often finding his own friend looking detached and distracted. Something was wrong.

The last day of the holiday was when Draco decided to confront him, barging into Alice’s room while the boy was sketching something. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or are you going to be like this when we get back to Hogwarts?”

Alice glanced up at Draco, closing the book, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Something happened after that talk with my father.” He shut the door just in case, “Either he told you something awful or threatened you. When I asked you about it right after you evaded the question.”

“Oh.” Alice scratched his head, looking away from the blonde. “I was just...your father reminded me of mine.”

“Your father was strict as well?” Draco went over to the bed, sitting on it.

“My father was more than strict.” Alice smiled thinly, “He had this rule, there wasn’t room for less than perfect.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s a lot to talk about, you probably won’t care.”

“You know more about me and my family than I know about you.” Draco turned to him, “Spill it. I’m curious.”

Alice took a moment to think about it, of course, talking about his parents wouldn’t reveal too much about what he wasn’t supposed to share. It wasn’t about their bloodline at all. He looked for a good place to start, choosing his words carefully. “When I was born, my dad had already planned out my life. I was to become the top of my class, the captain of the quidditch team, the head boy, a top Auror, everything. He did so much I was surprised that he didn’t have me betrothed to someone he wanted me to marry.”

Draco snorted in amusement, “It’s not uncommon.”

“Not funny, I can’t even stand girls.” He mumbled, earning a strange look from his friend. “Anyway, he began to ‘train’ me,” He quoted the words with his fingers, “When I was just able to walk. He taught me how to fly, he made sure I had a great memory. He did everything he could to make sure I could do just about anything. Only, I wasn’t good at everything.”

“You nearly blew up your last potion if it weren’t for me.”

“Exactly. I was under so much pressure from my father that it took its toll in almost everything. Things that don’t require my agility, memory, quick wit, and reflexes are pretty much my worst subjects. “I’m only good at three things, quidditch, spellcasting and defense.” He took a breath, “I...my marks in first year weren’t actually perfect, and my dad didn’t really like that. There’s no room for less than perfect in my family, but while your father reminded me of my own, there’s one thing your father has that mine doesn’t.” He looked over at Draco. “That interview he had put me through, he was making sure that I was good enough to be _your_ friend. I have a good feeling that he might care about you.”

Draco seemed to think about that, “He’s quite distant and cold most of the time.”

“I would bet you twenty galleons that if you were in danger, he’d actually try his damndest to save your life.” Alice frowned, “My father would only expect me to get out of it myself. Now my mother - she’s...not yours.” He looked down at his fidgeting hands, “Your mother loves you more than anything, I see it clearly. My mother… she went back to her work right after I had learned how to fend for myself. I don’t think she was ready to be a mother.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I was born during a no-maj rock concert.” Alice laid flat on the bed, “A musician named Alice Cooper, she even told me she didn’t know she was pregnant, she just collapsed in intense pain, I came out and dad had to swaddle me in one of their tee-shirts.” He looked over at Draco, noticing him cringe at the description. “Yeah, so that’s how I ended up being named Alice.”

There was a shift on the bed and Draco was sitting right next to him, “With parents like that it’s no wonder you never felt like talking about them. It makes me wonder why you cried over their deaths in the first place.”

“I never cried over their deaths.” Alice folded his arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. “You can’t cry over people you resent with every fiber of your being. Maybe to some people, their deaths are sad, but now I’m not obligated to become what my father hoped for me to become.”

“An Auror.”

“Or head boy, or quidditch captain. I can do whatever I feel like.” He smiled.

“What _do_ you want to do?”

There was a moment of silence and Alice felt himself at a loss. He could actually do anything, but what would it be?

“I don’t know yet.”

* * *

Alice learned from his father that the smallest actions have the most tremendous changes, which had presented themselves to him in amazing ways. Just opening up about his own family life seemed to gain some respect from Draco, their friendship improving as time went on. When January ended there seemed to be something strange going on when it came to Potter, and every time he caught a glimpse of Granger, she always looked tetchy, as if she was doing something downright illegal. It was stranger the longer he began to take notice, as she wasn’t somewhere certain and after a split second there she was, as if she had been there the whole time. He wondered just how many people were resuming their days without noticing her sudden appearances, but figured that everyone was so focused on their own thing that they didn’t mind or care.

He decided to test his theory after care of magical creatures, making up an excuse to Draco that he had an appointment with Snape and deciding to keep an eye on Granger. The way no one noticed her veering off to the right on the way up to the castle was astounding, no one cared to follow her either. When she turned a corner he began to pick up speed, hurrying up and turning to a clearing, and no sign of Granger at all. No frizzy hair, no annoying bossy voice. Just empty space and stone benches.

“What the hell is going on?” He murmured to himself, wandering further into the clearing. There weren’t any doors or windows, in fact, it was just a part of the castle, a very private part of the castle that anyone could just pop in and out…

No, apparition wasn’t allowed in Hogwarts, and Granger was fourteen. She was too young to do that and not risk splinching herself. What else could be the excuse for her vanishing completely.

Alice made it his personal mission to find out what was going on, because just appearing in classes out of nowhere was cause for suspicion. He ended up tailing her for three weeks outside of his quidditch practices, always coming up short and always finding a private spot in the castle that was always the exit route. It was becoming annoying that she was faster than he was.

Draco was starting to get suspicious about his sudden interest in Granger, cornering him in the bathroom. Of course he would, he had it in for the girl since she graced his presence. The fact that his best friend was now following her at every free moment he had would rouse adequate concern. Easter holiday was coming up fast and Alice was losing his chances.

“I know what you’ve been doing.” He made his presence known immediately, coming up to the sinks where Alice was washing his hands, “Do you think you can sneak off with the mudblood without me knowing?”

Alice glanced up at his reflection in the mirror, “Let me explain.”

“There’s no explanation for what you’ve been doing! Meeting with the enemy, a filthy mudblood of all things! Next thing I know you’re going to be talking sweet with Potter.”

“Merlin’s balls, Draco.” Alice ran his hands under the sink again and turned around, flicking his wet fingers into his face. “Cool down, it’s not what you’re thinking.” 

Draco winced and stepped back when his friend flicked water into his face, “I hate it when you do that.”

“I’ll pour water straight on your head if you keep making wild accusations. I’m not meeting with Granger, for Circe’s sake. I’ve been tailing her.”

Draco brushed a drop of water off of his nose, watching his friend wearily. “Tailing her.”

Alice smiled, “I’m using my wits to figure out what she’s been doing. Haven’t you watched her lately?”

“I try not to look at her ugly face for more than I have to.”

“Then you haven’t noticed her routine. Haven’t you ever thought about why that, when you’re in class, she’s not there until just a second later? She likes to pretend like it’s normal, telling Weasley he’s been seeing things, and even he’s been noticing it.” Alice hooked an arm around Draco’s shoulders, “Word is that she’s taken on a full load, every single class elective. Now wouldn’t that be far too taxing on a normal witch or wizard? Some of those classes overlap each other.”

“Are you telling me that she’s found a way to cheat the system?” Draco asked, finding all of this interesting. He looked at Alice for any tell that this was a load of bollocks, but even if it sounded wild, it sounded spot-on for this swot. “That explains how she’s insufferably at the top.” He looked angry at that. “That little bitch.”

“When I figure out what’s going on I’ll be sure to tell you, but for now don’t let her in on the fact that we know. I want to catch her off guard.” He led Draco out of the bathroom, putting a finger to his lips as he headed into the great hall.

Draco took a quick look along the Gryffindor table, glaring slightly at the bane of his existence before sitting next to his friend.

* * *

Unfortunately, the upcoming quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor made it impossible for Alice to dig any further into Granger’s illegal activities. He understood why, it was the final. It was quite important to Slytherin to get this cup. By the time the Easter holiday was over, he had to deal with quidditch practice every single day, which meant he sacrificed a few hours each night to keep up with his homework. Tensions between both houses were rising to a peak, to the point that students were trying to hex players out of the competition. He was on the bad end of Weasley pranks for the entire week, him and Draco getting the brunt of it.

They ended up losing, however, it was the closest game ever due to Alice’s scoring. They were eighty to eighty, but Potter finally caught the snitch. It was a hard fought game that had everyone on edge. Not that the rest of the Slytherin team would think so, their minds were focused on the losing part. Alice enjoyed it nevertheless, his first time losing was the best feeling in the world.

After that his tracking of Granger began again, and he could have sworn that she knew what he was doing after the third week, as she ended up going to alternate routes and tried her hardest to lose him. Alice wasn’t going to let her off his watch easily, intent on knowing the answer to the riddle that was Granger.

Come June, Alice was closer than he was to finding out the truth, only to have to put it on hold again for exams. He and Draco studied together long into the library and made small bets on who would do better in which subject. By June ninth after the Defense exam, Alice had won a total of three galleons but owed Draco about six.

The boys decided to spend the rest of their time in the library, both of them sitting at the large windows as Alice looked up restricted magical objects. Draco was gazing out the window boredly, thinking of better ways to spend his free time.

“We have the rest of the week to relax and you’re still obsessing about Granger.” He commented. “Weren’t you on my back earlier this year about me obsessing over Potter?”

“This is different. She’s doing something illegal and I want to crack the case. She’s getting far too cocky and I want to take her down a peg when I finally get her to spill her misdeeds.” He continued flipping through the book.

“It’s the end of exams, there’s no way that any of us will be able to catch her. I’m willing to let her have this one for the sake of saving your sanity.” He glanced over at Alice, meeting the other’s blue eyes.

“I never thought I’d hear Draco Malfoy conceding to Granger in my life.” He smirked.

“If it stops you from acting like a bloody Auror.” He said snarkily, “I assumed you didn’t wish to become one.”

“I’m not being a damn Auror!”

“Speak of the devil!”

Alice looked up, “What?” His eyes followed to where Draco was looking out the window and down towards the grounds. Outside were Potter and Granger, looking hectic. “What are they doing?”

“Probably looking for a place to snog.” Draco commented blandly, looking back to see Alice darting out of the room. “Alice!” He shouted--wincing immediately when Pince glowered at him. He glanced back out of the window and grimaced, getting up to go after him.

Alice wasn’t thinking, running as fast as his tall legs could take him, getting shouted at by Filch on his way out of the castle. He stumbled down the hill, stopping at where he found Potter and Granger from above. He turned his head upwards and pinpointed the window, turning back and looking around. He kept his eyes on the grass, finding faint but noticeable footsteps leading him downhill towards Hagrid’s hut. The closer he got the further away from the trail he became, making sure to hide himself in the forest while heading closer to the hut. 

Alice had to crouch, his own footfalls calculated. The more noise he would make, the better his chances in being found out, which made him glad that Draco wasn’t with him. Further down the woods he could see her, mainly her hair, and Potter was right next to her, gazing at the hut. He hid himself behind a tree quickly, breathing out of his nose. Why were they hiding? When he glanced back out he had to bite his own hand, spotting not one, but...two?

He was going barmy, two Grangers and two Potters, each in different places. The ones in the forest seemed to be tailing the ones leaving Hagrid’s hut. In the forest, Granger seemed to be holding a broom. Alice had to keep himself hidden before they moved again, following them from a fair distance. It was getting dark, and he wasn’t going to be able to see them for long.

“We’ve got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won’t know what’s going on.”

“Okay, but we’ve got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember …”

Alice took out his wand, uttering a small spell towards the ground that made their footsteps more visible in the shadows. He continued to follow them, still remaining quiet. If there were two copies of them than it must mean something illegal was used. Granger said to keep out of sight, meaning they couldn’t be discovered. Their clothes were the same as the clothes on the other copies, but a lot dirtier.

He continued to think rationally about it, going over all the magical objects in his head.

When they were closer to the Whomping Willow, Alice could see the copies again, but this time…

A familiar shape of a dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow. They saw him bowl Potter over, then seize Weasley, pulling him back into the base of the Willow. The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; Alice could see the copies darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk. And then the tree froze.

Time now was stagnant, as if they were waiting for something to unfoil. Alice kept himself hidden, waiting for something to happen. Sooner than he thought he could spot someone charging for the Willow, his Defense professor, and not long after that was--

Alice had to bite his hand again, keeping down his shock. Professor Snape had followed, picking up a cloak of some sort before heading inside to follow Lupin.

“So that’s it,” said Granger quietly. “We’re all down there and now we’ve just got to wait until we come back up again.”

Alice sighed through his nose, doubly thankful that he didn’t bring Draco with him. He would have ruined their covers by now, called attention to himself and Alice. He thought more, going over the magical objects he read about. The only one that made sense was a time-turner, but those were regulated. No one in their right mind would give a fourteen year old student a time-turner.

He rolled his eyes, leaning his head on the tree. Of course Granger would own one. It all began to make sense. How she ran about wildly ducking into private areas and disappearing, re-appearing in classes without anyone noticing, all but Weasley. He had to hand it to Weasley, he was smarter than he looked.

All of this was beyond illegal.

Granger and Potter were talking about something Alice didn’t care about, and he had to think. The castle was in view, how was he going to get back to Draco to inform him of his discovery? Something was obviously happening, they were trying to stop something. No one would use a time-turner for fickle things, and knowing Granger, she wouldn’t take it out for a spin (“Heh”) unless it was warranted.

Alice got his chance when the past copies re-emerged from the Willow, everyone, and two men he never saw before… He looked around, seeing the moonlight in the far distance. Draco was probably worried about him by now.

Then it happened… Professor Lupin began _changing_. Alice’s eyes widened. He was a werewolf!

“Hermione! We’ve got to move!” Potter spoke up.

“We mustn’t, I keep telling you —”

“Not to interfere! Lupin’s going to run into the forest, right at us!”

Granger gasped.

“Quick!”

Alice was fucked. He hid behind the tree quickly, trying to meld with it. Hopefully it was dark enough that no one would notice him. He was lithe enough to make it work, the boy shutting his eyes and bracing himself. Loud footfalls approached him quickly and passed without halting, the future copies rushing past him without notice. Alice opened his eyes slowly, noticing they were going back to Hagrid’s house.

A wolf began to howl and Alice decided it was his turn to leave, hurrying out where the other two ran past, keeping an eye on the past copies. There seemed to be a fight happening, Weasley becoming knocked out. With the other two in the hut, he decided it was time to head back to the castle. Only when the door opened again, Alice ducked behind one of the large stones, watching Potter head for the werewolf. He was fucking crazy for doing so, but Alice wasn’t going to go after him to make sure he would survive.

He didn’t know how he made it back up to the castle without anyone seeing, as the moonlight made him easy to spot, but he had done so, making sure to sneak in as quietly as possible. He made his way right to the dungeons, his breathing was coming in fast. Once Alice was inside the common room he could see Draco on the couch waiting for him, staring anxiously at the other boy and getting up immediately.

“You were gone for two hours! Where in the bloody hell did--”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Alice cut in quickly, looking exhausted. “I know Granger’s secret now. She has a fucking time-turner!”

Draco looked at him incredulously, “A time-turner? Those are highly restricted by the Ministry! How did that mudblood get one…” He trailed off, thinking. “Dumbledore must’ve given it to her. That foolish old codger.”

“Whatever, from what I saw, they’re taking on a werewolf with it.” Alice pulled on a tight-lipped smile. “It’s Professor Lupin.”

“My, my, aren’t we full of surprises.” Draco smirked impressively, “I guess your Auror work has proven to be fruitful. I can’t wait to go to Professor Snape about all of this.”

“Professor Snape is involved in all of it.” Alice frowned then, “I saw him chasing after everyone and then when he re-emerged he was out cold.”

“Merlin’s balls.” Draco had to sit down, feeling dizzy from all the oncoming information. “How about you start from the beginning.”

Alice sat down next to him, leaning against Draco’s shoulders, “I’m tired, Draco. Can it wait until tomorrow? I feel like I was put through the ride of my life. The adrenaline rush has gone down.”

Draco sighed, “I expect the entire story, Alice.” He took his friend’s arm and hooked it around his shoulders, helping Alice into the boys’ dorm.

The next day Alice went through everything he saw in detail, and after that Draco pulled him into Snape’s office to recount the story. Alice wasn’t happy about having to tell his caretaker about what he did, since he practically broken some rules while scouting out Potter and Granger. He was met with Snape’s exhausted looking features, which told him that Snape’s night was harder than his own, and while thanking Alice about informing him of the time-turner, warned his charge about getting caught in such dire cases as it would alter time itself. In the end, Snape made Draco and Alice promise not to repeat this story to anyone else before sending them away.

They spent the rest of the day in Hogsmeade, Draco trying to help Alice put the last night behind him while Pansy tried to flirt with him, at Blaise’s annoyance. By the time they went back up to the castle they learned that Professor Lupin had resigned, and Alice had to wonder if he had any help in that. He didn’t know how to feel about it.

It was nearing the last day of school when Alice was finally confronted by Granger, the witch finding him in the courtyard, sketching. Her lips were pursed into a thin line and she looked annoyed, glaring at him with disdain.

“I was told by Professor Snape that it was foolish of me to possess a time-turner, and he berated me for a half-hour on my irresponsibility and blatant stupidity. I know it was you that told him.” She said shrilly.

Alice didn’t look up from his sketchbook, but he was listening.

“I know it was you because you have been sneaking around trying to find out what I have been doing. What do you have to say for yourself, Blackwood? You cost me house points!”

“You cost yourself house points.” Alice said, glancing up at the castle, “What you did was illegal by many standards and all for the most stupid and selfish reasons.” He stopped then, narrowing his eyes and finally looking at her. “Don’t come here bitching at me for catching you red-handed when you were the one who used it knowingly. Honestly, taking every class? I was happier when I believed you were doing drugs!”

“Harry and I saved someone’s life!” She shouted, glowering at him. “We did the right thing with that, it’s more than what you had done. And don’t think I didn’t know you were in that forest with us! I would prefer it if you stay out of our business, Blackwood. Both you and Malfoy!”

Alice stood up slowly, walking over to her. “Stop being a pompous, annoying, know-it-all who thinks she’s entitled and perhaps I’ll think about it. Work on your voice as well, you sound like claws on a chalkboard!” He smirked slightly, amused at his own comeback.

Hermione’s face twisted into disgust. “You look and sound like him, it’s no wonder you’re related to Professor Snape, you’re both horrible people!”

“I rather be related to Snape than you, to be honest.” Alice smiled, stepping closer to her. “You may go now, Granger.” He gestured behind her as Draco began making his way over to them, “Unless you want Draco to prattle on and on about how much you’re a filthy mudblood.”

That was the wrong thing to say, and Alice regretted it, as the next minute she kneed him in the stomach, the witch looking back at Draco for a split second before storming away. Draco was too concerned over his friend to deal a payback, running over to Alice and kneeling down. “Where’d she get you? I’ll make sure to hex her twice as bad.”

Alice took a moment to breathe, taking hold of Draco’s shoulder and looking up at him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Draco glared back to check if she was still around, “I can make sure she doesn’t retaliate like that again--”

“I said don’t worry about it.” Alice shifted so that he was sitting, falling back onto the concrete and sighing. “I deserved it, anyway.”


	2. Fourth Year

The daily life at the Snape house consisted of his extended Potions homework, courtesy of Severus, who was intent for him to become better at Potions after receiving his poor grade. Between that and eating, he also had a slightly curious lesson that Severus thought he would benefit from: Occlumency. Occlumency was held at night while Potions was a morning affair, the skilled professor wanting to use his freshly sharp senses to correctly brew whatever potion that he decided upon, while using the hours that Alice was becoming most vulnerable mentally to train his mind.

Needless to say, it was gruelling. Alice didn’t expect to be put to work during summer holiday but he wasn’t upset about doing it, remembering his first summer holiday with his father and him using up every amount of his free time to practice whatever Auror skill he might need in the future. What he was doing with Severus wasn’t a far cry from his life at home, and he knew Severus was catching many glimpses of what he used to do every night when he pursued his mind.

Thankfully, Severus allowed him reprieve during the weekends, where he spent at Malfoy Manor telling Draco about his rousing adventures in potions work. The blonde looked slightly sympathetic to his plight, only slightly. All the while, Draco kept grinning at him for some reason, telling Alice that he was hiding something from him. He had to endure it for three weeks, with Draco hinting to him that if he asked him nicely that he would let him in on the secret.

He didn’t like it when Draco had the upper hand.

“What do you want me to do? Kneel down and kiss your ring, oh Prince Draco?” Alice mock-bowed with a flourish.

“Tempting, really. With what I’m withholding, it deserves possibly your undying loyalty.” Draco learned quickly that playing with Alice was the best time spent. He never had the chance to see his friend so anxious and desperate. It was a good look for him.

Alice knew he was liking it too much, also. “I’m already your best friend, do we have to make some sort of blood pact where I sell you my soul?”

Draco ended up laughing, “I’m sure if you really want to go to the most important event of the century, then I would prefer some fealty.”

Alice thought fast, sorting through his memories. Important event. Important event. There was only one major event he was paying attention to for the past two years in Ilvermorny, his eyebrows raising up ever so slightly. It was on the Daily Prophet last week, but he was too busy to even pay attention. “You’re kidding me. You have tickets to the Quidditch World Cup?” He grasped Draco’s arms, shaking him. “You’re KIDDING ME.”

Draco wrenched himself out of his arms, laughing again. “I was hoping when you figure it out. Father has acquired an extra ticket.” He smirked, “You may thank me now.”

“I’m your undying slave. Give me my ticket.” Alice held out his hand.

“Father is holding onto them for now. I’m still waiting for your fealty.”

“I’ll worship the ground at your feet, okay? What else do you want from me, my first born?”

Draco went pink at that, shaking his head, “Don’t get weird about it!”

Alice ignored what he was reading, mostly focused on the fact that he could be attending the Quidditch World Cup. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I can actually watch Ireland win the cup--”

“Ireland? No way, Krum is better than Lynch! How dare you insult my generous offer by expressing your fancy for Ireland!” Draco looked offended, only it wasn’t that serious. “If you want to go you better know where your loyalties lie.”

“You want me to be loyal to you but you also want me to cheer against a team I’ve been following off and on for two years?” Alice shoved him before sitting on Draco’s bed, “That’s blackmail. Your holding my tickets hostage.”

Draco sighed, following him. “I guess if you don’t really want to go that bad I could always give your ticket to Theo…”

“You _wouldn’t_.” Alice looked deceived, “Theodore probably has his own ticket!” He glared slightly at Draco, and the blonde only shrugged lightly. It was only a matter of time until Alice buckled, and both of them knew it. “You’re not being fair.” Alice told him, mildly irritated, both of them staring each other down. Draco was more calm than Alice was, more composed and nonchalant, and slowly it was pissing Alice off, because he was winning.

“Well?” Draco asked after a moment, quirking a brow. “Are you going or not?”

Alice groaned, folding his arms and dropping himself onto the mattress. “ _Yay Bulgaria._ ” He mumbled, “ _Go Krum, woo._ ”

The grin Draco gave him made him want to throw a pillow in his face.

* * *

The next weekend was spent sleeping over at Draco’s house until the World Cup. The two of them went on about the standings and even if he was forced to root for Bulgaria, he was planning against it in every way possible. He was told they were to take the highest box in the stadium, which sounded exciting. He would be sitting next to Ludo Bagman and the Minister of Magic, and catching every moment of the game right in front of him. It was something he anticipated greatly, and lost sleep over. The morning of the game he was already awake when Narcissa came to wake him up at three AM, amused at his eagerness to get the day started. In stark contrast, Draco was still half-asleep, his head threatening to drop in his breakfast.

It was only when Alice realized just _how_ they were going to get to the stadium that all the anticipation dropped like a dead weight.

_Port-key._

After a year he still wasn’t able to handle a port-key, dropping to his knees after they had arrived. The Malfoy family were the only ones that didn’t wish to look like muggles, being the aristocrats that they were. Alice would have had something more muggle in his wardrobe, but it was all slowly phased out by Narcissa and Severus in some dastardly plot to make him look more presentable to the public. Alice wondered if they plotted together over tea and biscuits.

The vast expanse of land was almost too big to comprehend, acres of tents that were decorated in either green or red made him feel incredibly small in comparison. It was a spectacular sight to behold. The boys were able to get omnioculars from an apparating vendor, but before he left Alice managed to buy an Ireland rosette with the money he had saved up, managing to look Draco right in the face with a smile and dare him to expel him from the proceedings. It was a risky move on his part, knowing how his friend didn’t like things going the way he wanted.

“Fine!” Draco scowled at him, “When Bulgaria wins the Cup then you will be on your knees begging for forgiveness.”

“When Ireland wins the Cup I will be expecting you to admit that you were wrong.” Alice said with a smirk.

It was all in good fun, a nice rivalry between two friends, both of them betting each other on who would catch the snitch. Alice dreaded losing, mostly as the high stakes meant that he’d be in debt to his best friend for life.

Neither of them expected to run into Potter and his little gang, along with the many ginger-headed Weasleys that were present. Granger was glowering at Alice as much as Potter’s best friend. Alice winced when Lucius made a pass about the Weasley financial situation, and while he had control over what Draco said his father was another story, and he was forced to let it slide. In all honesty, he didn’t feel comfortable mocking someone for their financial woes when he was literally in the same shoes about a year ago.

The fact that Alice didn’t say anything along with Draco’s snide comments must have stood out to Potter, earning Alice a weird calculating look from the boy. In fact, Alice was doing his best to keep his friend from starting anything, expertly distracting him with their standing bet. By the time they had gotten to the top he realized just how high up they were, tempted to look over the edge but all the same too terrified to even try, taking note of the present house-elf that was obviously afraid of heights.

Once the mascots were pulled out into the stadium, everything became a blur of noises and sounds, the match had begun and by the time it was over Alice was hoarse from yelling, enthralled that Ireland had won. Alice made sure to hold it over his head, except the fact that the bet they made said ‘who got the snitch’, not ‘who won’. The argument over the exact wording of the bet went on for a while longer, neither of them conceding. In all fairness, Draco had won twenty galleons.

Well, he would have, if if Alice wasn't being petty about it. Their argument on who actually won what went on into the night until -

BOOM.

Screaming filled the once-boisterous merriment, jarring the two boys out of their petty argument. Lucius practically tore through the door to the tent, “We have to leave _immediately_!”

“What’s going on?” Narcissa questioned worriedly, hurrying over to Draco and Alice. “Boys!”

“It’s an attack.”

Within seconds Narcissa had left along with the boys, all three of them hurrying with the crowd of panicked witches and wizards. In the distance there were flames and smoke, and both Alice and Draco found themselves being pushed and shoved through the crowd.

“Draco!” Narcissa’s grip on her son broke away easily while Alice clung on to Draco’s arm once he was pushed backward.

“Mrs. Malfoy!” Alice shouted, looking for her amongst the crowd.

“Mother!”

Both of the boys tried to go against the stampede, both of them yelling out for Draco’s mother until they realized that they were far too separated. They decided to push forward, heading through the trees until Draco forced them to stop. “Wait.”

Alice bent over a tree, catching his breath. “Wait what?”

“I want to see it.”

“Are you crazy? We’re being attacked and you want to watch?”

“Didn’t you notice?” Draco leaned against the other side, “It’s a Death Eater raid. We’re perfectly safe, Alice.”

Alice leaned his back against the tree, looking the opposite direction until he spotted a telltale ginger head. “Draco.” He reached out to smack Draco’s shoulder lightly, bringing him over to look in his direction. The boys didn’t even notice them pass.

Then Weasley tripped and fell.

“Tripped over a tree root,” Weasley said angrily, getting to his feet again.

Draco folded his arms, grinning at the sight. He just couldn’t help himself. “Well, with feet that size, hard not to.”

Alice rolled his eyes as the three of them turned to face the two of them. Granger glowered directly at Alice for her own reasons.

“Go fuck yourself Malfoy.” Weasley ground out.

Draco smirked, “Weasley, language!”

“Kiss your mother with that mouth?” Alice drawled, already bored of this conversation. “All of you shouldn’t be lingering.” He gestured to Granger specifically. “Don’t want _her_ to get targeted.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Granger defiantly.

“Granger, they’re after Muggles,” Malfoy stated it as if it was obvious. “Do you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around. They’re moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.”

“Hermione’s a witch,” Potter snarled.

“Doesn’t matter.” Alice said flatly.

“If you think they can’t spot a Mudblood, stay where you are.” Draco grinned maliciously.

“Yeah and both of you are just standing here watching this like it’s a bloody show.” Potter shouted out, beginning to get pissed off.

From the other side of the trees, there was an ear-shattering BANG that made people nearby scream out of fright. Malfoy chuckled softly.

“Scare easily, don’t they?” He said lazily. “I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What’s he up to — trying to rescue the Muggles?”

“Draco.” Alice was tired of him provoking them already. “Let’s just go.”

“Where’re your parents?” said Harry, ignoring Alice while his temper rose. “Out there wearing masks, are they?”

“For your information it’s none of your fucking business.” Alice grew defensive, “I suggest all of you leave now, _please_ , for your own good!” He begged through his teeth.

Potter stilled for a split second, hearing the edge in Alice’s voice. He was actually trying to warn them. Alice held Harry’s eyes for a moment, staring at the bespectacled boy hard.

Granger stepped away, “Come on.” She said finally, and the three of them left.

“You know how to ruin my fun, don’t you?” Draco ended up frowning at him. “It was just getting interesting.”

Alice cast a sideways glare at his friend, “There’s a time and a place for such things, and right now isn’t one of them.” He stepped back towards the chaos. “We should move forward too.”

“No, father will find us quickly.” Draco insisted, “All we need to do is stay out of their way.”

Draco was right, his father found them straight away, him and Narcissa apparating to them and taking them to a safer place to hide until it was all over.

It was clearly a significant night in Alice’s life. His first sight of Death Eaters and how Draco wasn’t one bit afraid of them. He didn’t know much about the Death Eaters or Voldemort, but he knew his own mother and father were against dark wizards. Voldemort sounded powerful if he could command an army, and further piqued his curiosity. Clearly someone who’s been presumed dead for thirteen years was still inspiring people to terrorize in his name. He often spent time looking up great leaders in history, and now he was close to one.

He wanted to learn more about that, how one single person could become immensely powerful.

By the time he flooed back to Spinner’s End he had about a million questions that he had a feeling Severus could answer. He found the man in the basement, bent over a cauldron, pouring an already made potion into vials.

“Something interesting happened.” Alice said, “Apparently some Death Eaters came and--”

Severus snapped his head up, looking at him at once. He set the vial down and hurried over to him. “You’re not hurt are you?”

Alice allowed Severus to do a full body scan with his wand, wondering where the sudden protectiveness came from. “Yeah, nothing happened. We just waited in the forest for Draco’s parents to find us. Um--” He waited until Severus was done, following him to the table. “So, I only know a little bit about this Voldemort guy--”

“Don’t speak his name!” Severus hissed out at him, “Use something else!”

“You see? That’s the thing I’m curious about!” Alice snapped his fingers, “How did some wizard become so powerful and frightening that no one dares to speak his name? I’m honestly interested in Volde--Him. He’s rumored to be dead but he’s still a driving force today!”

Severus didn’t like where this was going, “Are you saying that you’re enchanted by him?”

Alice found a stool to sit on, leaning over the table. “Well how could I not? I always heard of dark wizards in America, but no one this huge. He’s pretty popular isn’t he? I know dad always had lectured me about the dangers of dark magic but I always wanted to research about it. Apparently he’s well versed.”

Severus shut his eyes, taking a steady breath. “Don’t speak so casually about something you do not know the smallest detail about. A dark wizard that powerful isn’t something to be curious over, it’s to be wary of.”

Alice frowned, “I was only wondering--”

“I know what you’re thinking about!” He barked suddenly, slamming his fist into the table. “I refuse to have you becoming invested into someone that doesn’t deserve your attention. He Who Must Not Be Named is a forbidden topic in this house!”

“But--”

“The rule is clear, Alice. Think twice before uttering another word!”

Severus’s voice was loud enough to shake the foundation, and Alice obediently fell silent. “Yes, sir.” He finally said, sliding off of the stool. From the way Severus reacted meant he was quite serious and the subject was not to be pressed any further. He might as well follow his direction, fearing what Severus would do if he slipped out of line.

“Alice, back here. Now.” Severus demanded once Alice was at the steps, and the boy fell into attention immediately and went back faster than he left. The man took a moment and sighed, “Sit.” He motioned back to the stool.

Alice went back to sitting in it, staying quiet.

“Your parents were Aurors, correct?”

“Since before I was born.”

“Imagine how they would feel if you took interest into an extremely powerful dark wizard for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure they taught you the basics of morality.” He didn’t look at the boy, staring down at the half-empty cauldron. “There was a time when unsuspecting wizards like you became interested in Him, often choosing to go down the path of becoming a follower. Many had regret that path, and many tried to hide from it.” He finally looked at him. “You have to understand, going further down that path doesn’t end well. It leads to emotional and physical scars that last for as long as you live. Many people have died fighting for him, and twice as many people died trying to fight against him.”

Alice leaned against the table, listening.

“I realize you’re a teenager, and teenagers will do the stupidest things.” He seemed to laugh bitterly at that, “I don’t want you to become one of them. So if anyone goes to you with such a proposition, I wish for you to think it over hard before deciding to do something you’ll end up regretting. Do I make myself clear?”

Alice nodded, “Explained it better than my dad would have, however, you seem to do a lot of things better than my dad.” He paused for a moment, looking away and worrying the inside of his cheek. “I have a question.”

Severus continued pouring, starting to guess what it was. He took enough glimpses into his childhood through the occlumency lessons, almost too many. “I’m sure I can answer it.”

“Why did you do it?” Alice paused for a moment, “Take me in, I mean? No--not that I don’t appreciate it, I honestly do. You just don’t seem like the type to care for children.”

Severus smirked slightly, amused. “You’ve witnessed me for an entire year teaching a vast mixture of children ranging from the brightest to the terribly witless. There’s more of the latter than the former. I wouldn’t be so naive to assume that I didn’t know about any extended family. This house your standing in is my father’s house.”

Alice frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You would be amazed that even after one is deceased, the post still arrives at their home. Five months after my father’s death I received a letter addressed to him, the return address from someone I never knew existed. Your grandfather. At first I was tempted to burn that letter, but within it the letter spoke of a young woman, one I later would discover to be my own cousin. Agatha Snape. I had a cousin, a muggle-born cousin, my uncle had raved about how she had just graduated from Beauxbatons. It was a stark contrast to my own father, who thought me and my mother as a freak of nature. Enclosed with the letter was a photo of her in a naval academy uniform, something he was proud of.

“I sent him a letter in return to inform the man of his brother’s passing, expecting nothing more to come of it, but a month later I received another letter. The man was genuinely interested in speaking to a nephew he never met. I never did reply back, at the time I had a grudge against muggles due to my own family. I don’t really understand why, but the old coot kept sending me letters anyway. Updating me instead of my father of my cousin and her adventures, up to the point that Agatha met an American wizard and had decided to live with him across the pond. Nothing else after that, I believe he may have died. The man had a weird mindset, he insisted on keeping me informed of his own family as I too was also family. It was confirmed a year later, when I suddenly got a knock on my door.”

Alice rested his chin in his hands, fully invested.

“It was your mother at the door, she seemed shocked to actually get a glimpse of me. We looked similar, it was obvious we were related. She wished to invite me to her father’s funeral, even though I hadn’t spoken to him at all, my name was on the list. According to Agatha, her father was put into hospice and he deteriorated slowly from Alzheimers. She only found out about me in the last week, he kept telling Agatha of her cousin in Cokeworth. She assumed it was a part of his disease and he was making it up, until after his death and she discovered my address in his book. I wasn’t all that happy to see her at the time for reasons I will not specify, but she’s quite the stubborn woman. I was practically forced out of my own house to that funeral service. She insisted on telling me that was what Turien Snape would have wanted, to finally meet his brother’s son. I found it absurd at the time.”

Severus finished up bottling all the potion, using his wand to clean the cauldron. “Your mother is a foolish woman.”

“I know.” Alice smiled thinly. “How do you think I got my name?”

Snape looked annoyed at that. “She never knew how to be a mother, she was too interested in working or having fun. She sent me a letter naming me as your godfather, just choosing to do so without my approval. I'm pleased that your father took the time to actually raise you into someone intelligent.”

“My father worked me to the bone.” Alice said flatly, “I wasn’t really allowed much of a choice on the matter. He wanted me to become a copy of himself. No child should be forced to remember a certain number of hats on heads in a diner in order to receive their birthday present.”

“Your father was responsible enough to raise you with quick senses. Your talents will be useful to you whenever you come into trouble. I agree, while he may be too strict with you, you benefited from his tutelage. Now you will benefit from my tutelage, and to recall my earlier statement, I do not wish for you to ruin your life by making the wrong decisions. Is that clear, Alice?”

Alice sighed, “Crystal.”

“Go now, we will have supper and then we will resume your Occlumency lessons. You have a week until we both have to return.”

Alice slipped back off of the stool and saluted him, finally leaving the basement.

He was still curious about Voldemort, but for now he was going to respect his godfather’s wishes.

* * *

Because Severus had to go to Hogwarts long before he did, Alice had to spend the last night over with the Malfoys. When morning came it was another port-key to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Just the night before he and Draco learned something informative about the current year they were to attend, which promptly explained their need for the brand-new dress robes they had in their luggage, which Narcissa had gone to Wizarding Paris for. Both of the boys looked quite excited to find out, but Alice had more anticipation.

“It’s a moment of a lifetime, how can I not do it?” Alice commented, smiling.

“You look like the type to do it.” Draco replied, amused at his friend’s eagerness. “You’d probably win.”

“Okay boys, no more speaking about it.” Narcissa said kindly, “Let’s keep some secrets.”

“Cissy, they’re boys, it’s going to be a grand event. Let them speculate.” Lucius grinned, putting a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “I’m sure you would make Severus and the rest of us proud.”

Only when the whistle blew Draco and Alice decided to part from the parents, clamoring in after a rushed group clogged the hallways. Draco was the first one on, followed by Alice, who had a messenger bag full of his sketching materials and their journals, as Draco didn’t carry a bag with him. When the train lurched, Alice felt someone shove into him and he cried out, running into Draco and almost bringing the two of them down. He didn’t notice something slip from his bag as he looked back, scowling at Potter, who seemed to always be where Alice least expected it.

The two of them stared each other down before Alice decided not to speak, hurrying after Draco to find a compartment. When Potter took another step forward his foot landed on something small, looking down and noticing the leather-bound journal with Draco’s name on it. He bent down to pick it up, looking along the cars to notice them long gone before taking it with him.

“What was that, mate?” Weasley asked. “Blackwood’s sketchbook?”

“I’m not sure.”

Alice sat down next to Draco in their compartment, both of them looking pretty smug. Vincent and Gregory both looked at them, exchanging glances while Pansy giggled. “They know something.” She said conspiringly.

“Is this about the dress robes?” Millicent questioned.

“What are we having some kind of a fancy dance?” Vincent questioned, “Boy chooses girl?”

“Or boy chooses boy.” Pansy said connivingly, looking pointedly at Alice.

Draco went pink at the accusation, “You’re close.”

“I want to be surprised.” Gregory said then. “Don’t tell us.”

“I agree with Greg.” Millicent said, catching Greg’s eyes and suddenly looking away, turning pink.

Pansy seemed to be amused, letting the subject go for now. “So how was the Quidditch Cup?”

“It was loads of fun. There was action, suspense, Death Eaters, the whole works!”

“Death Eaters?” Millicent looked back up, “I read about that in the Prophet.”

“We watched it all go down.” Alice said, “Some of those spells they cast caught my attention.”

“ _You’re_ interested in dark magic?” Pansy smirked.

“I can’t help it, my parents were Aurors. Dark magic was something I learned extensively about, only, _what not to do_.” He frowned, “It’s a pity that they don’t teach it here. They don’t even teach it at Ilvermorny.”

“They teach it in Durmstrang.” Draco said, grinning, “Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore — the man’s such a Mudblood-lover — and Durmstrang doesn’t admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn’t like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do...”

Alice looked thoughtful, “If you went to Durmstrang then we wouldn’t have met, would we?”

Pansy giggled.

Draco frowned as he thought over his words, “No, I believe not. Perhaps something good did come out of coming here.” He smirked then knocking Alice’s shoulder with his own.

Their banter made Pansy grin, the girl nudging Millicent back to them. Something must have happened, a certain conversation between the two girls that had them studying both him and Draco with brand-new eyes, as if they were hinting at something. Alice’s opinion of girls was already fixated on them being weird, but this seemed to be an entirely new level. Normally, Pansy would be trying to flirt with him.

_“Boy chooses boy.”_

Alice glanced over at Draco as he spoke with his two bodyguards, re-thinking the innocent comment. Pansy had a conversation with someone to have her suggest there was something between them.

Not that he was against that. It was perfectly normal for wizards to like wizards and the same for witches. He learned that a long time ago at Ilvermorny, as one of his house-mates had two fathers. It wasn’t an accepted thing in the muggle world, in fact, they were still quite conservative about their view. It was mostly because the wizarding world wasn’t based upon christian religion. witches and wizards were open about a lot of things, while the muggle world thrived mostly on a religion that dictated their beliefs on certain things. It was one of the many things that made him unable to stand muggles, nevermind the blood of his mother.

But him and Draco? He went red just thinking about it.

As he thought about it Draco’s hand came up to his face, snapping his fingers to bring him back to reality. Alice blinked, the wayward thought of them snogging made it difficult to look Draco in the eye, making Pansy giggle again.

“Let’s go.” Draco told him, “I want to provoke someone.” He smirked at Alice, the glint in his gray eyes telling Alice everything he needed to know. The boy sighed and got up with him, rolling his eyes.

“You take too much pleasure into goading Potter. Are you sure you’re not obsessed?” Alice commented snarkily.

“Quit saying that.” Draco replied, leading Alice down the hall. It wasn’t long until they both could hear Weasley’s voice, mixed in with various other boys, all of them talking about Quidditch.

“Gran didn’t want to go,” A boy said miserably. “Wouldn’t buy tickets. It sounded amazing though.”

“It was,” said Weasley. “Look at this, Neville.”

There was a sound of rustling and something was obviously being shown to the sad boy, Alice smirking as Draco looked particularly amused. The two of them decided to finally look in on them, Draco opening the door as Weasley spoke.

“We were in the Top Box —”

“For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.”

Everyone stopped to look at both him and Draco, and Alice waved mockingly. “Having a pleasant chat?” He questioned.

“Don’t remember asking either of you to join us,” said Potter coolly.

It wasn’t until Draco noticed something that Alice finally looked his way, their eyes trailing to the obviously maroon lace that was dangling from an owl’s cage. 

“Weasley…what is that?” said Draco, pointing at the cage.

Weasley made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Draco was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.

“Look at this!” Malfoy sounded like he found treasure in a dirt hill, holding up Weasley’s robes and showing Alice, “Weasley, you weren’t thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean — they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety.”

“Piss off, Malfoy!” Weasley was turning red.

While making fun of Weasley’s shortcomings wasn’t something he had done, even Alice couldn’t help himself. “If my mother gave me robes like those I would have promptly burned them in a fire.” He reached out to feel the fabric. “I doubt it would even burn.”

Weasley snatched them back angrily, glaring at the both of them as both boys took turns to laugh about the robes. When they were done, Draco’s attention went back to Weasley. “So, are you going to enter?”

“There’s a load of money to be won.” Alice told him, knowing where Draco was going. “I’m pretty sure it would buy you a brand-new set of robes.”

“What are you talking about?” Weasley hissed out, already done with their taunting.

“ _Are you going to enter?_ ” Draco said it slowly this time for Weasley to pick up. He looked at Potter then, “I’m sure you’d enter, you always want a chance to show off.”

“I’d rather see myself up there than him.” Alice told Draco, hooking an arm around his neck.

“Either explain what you’re on about or go away, both of you,” said Granger testily, over the top of her book.

“They don’t know.” Alice said upon realization, letting go of Draco and shoving him slightly. His friend seemed to smile widely at the realization, exchanging glances with Alice and finding glee in having something over the three of them.

“You’ve got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don’t even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago! Heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father’s always associated with the top people at the Ministry.” He looked smug, “Perhaps your father is too low level to hear about it.”

“It’s not his fault that his father doesn’t have clout.” Alice said honestly. “I think we’re done here, Draco. They’ll find out soon enough.” Alice told them ominously, smirking as Granger glared up at him. The two of them left after that, laughing when the door to their compartment was slammed shut. “Do you think Weasley’s angry?” Alice questioned innocently.

“I don’t really care.”

* * *

The entire great hall was filling up with excitement about the Triwizard Tournament, up until Dumbledore said that it would have an age restriction. Given the dire circumstances, the restriction sounded quite reasonable, if you were a good-natured Hufflepuff. Alice didn’t waste any time into planning ways to get around that.

Care of Magical Creatures was yet again, weird. He didn’t like the blast-ended skrewts as much as Draco did, finding their smell to be atrocious. How could someone willingly keep it as a pet was beyond him. Especially since they tended to bite.

“Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,” said Draco sarcastically. “Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?”

“Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,” Granger snapped. “Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?”

Alice raised his hand, only for Draco to shove him. “What?” He cried out. “A pet dragon sounds amazing!”

“You already have a pet dragon.” Pansy mumbled under her breath, making Milicent and Blaise burst into laughter.

The two boys stopped, looking at each other before staring at Pansy.

The rest of the class was full of awkward silence on Draco’s end, and by the time it was over Alice was fed-up with Pansy. The giggles were getting to him, honestly, they struck him as suspicious and it reminded him of Narcissa’s secretive smiles.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.” Alice commented while Draco was talking to Vincent and Greg, letting the three of them move on ahead while the rest moved at half the speed. “It’s more unnerving than the constant flirting.”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about me flirting with you anymore.” Pansy said knowingly, “I already know that you won’t look my way no matter what I do. You’re too busy with _Draco_.”

Alice’s brows furrowed, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Ever since you saved him in third year you two have been inseparable, isn’t that right Milli?” She looked over to Millicent, who had her head in a book that wasn’t school issued.

“It’s kinda obvious.” She said without looking away from her book. “He usually brings around Vincent and Greg with him but he’s taken to having you at his side.”

“That means nothing. We’re best friends, of course we are together at every moment in the day. Potter, Weasley, and Granger are together at every moment in the day.”

“And Weasley fancies Granger.” Millicent said it like it was common knowledge.

“I don’t really think--”

“Call her a mudblood with Weasley in listening range, Alice, you’ll see what happens.”

“I don’t see how this has to do with me and Draco.”

Millicent finally looked up at him, smirking slightly. “Give it time, and you will.”

Pansy cackled madly at the comment, both of them parting ways with the group.

Draco seemed to be waiting for him near the entrance of the school, the only one who watched the slow walk that Alice had with Pansy and Millicent. “What was that about?”

“Something I don’t understand.” Alice explained, “Girls are the one thing I don’t want to spend time thinking about. They’re always secretive and emotionally fickle.”

“Good.” Draco said seriously. “I wouldn’t be able to handle you paying attention to someone else.” He led them down into the great hall.

Alice didn’t understand what Draco had meant with that, “What do you mean?”

“Your my best friend, which means your loyalties lie with me, not anyone else.” He said it like it was written in stone, sitting down without a second-thought.

“You’re honestly saying that you want my attention to be on you at all times?” Alice set his bag down, “What if I fancy someone?”

Draco snorted, “Not going to happen. You said it yourself, you don’t like girls.”

“I’m not talking about _girls_ , Draco.” Alice said pointedly, his statement actively startling his friend.

The thought of Alice with some random bloke seemed to hit a nerve that Draco didn’t realize he had before, and he glared at the other boy, “I won’t allow it.”

Alice rolled his eyes, “It’s not up for debate, Draco, when I begin to fancy someone, you will have to realize that I won’t be fully invested in you.”

“You’re mine. I’m not going to share you!”

Alice was about to sit with him until that made him stop altogether, “What?”

Draco glared at him, “You heard me, you’re my best friend first--”

“No, that’s not what you said, Draco. You said ‘you’re mine’. I hope that doesn’t mean what I think it means, like I’m some object.”

Alice was waiting for Draco to correct himself or do something civil like _apologize_ , but the further he searched the blonde’s face all he had was stubborn indignation. Alice slammed his books onto the table then as he glowered at his friend, effectively startling the entire room before he turned to storm out.

From across the room Weasley looked on at the exchange with amusement, “You see, Malfoy can’t even keep a friend.”

“I don’t see why they’re fighting.” Granger commented with a cringe, “The two prats are made for each other.”

Potter snorted in amusement, vaguely remembering the notebook he still had in his possession. “Maybe even Blackwood has some sense about him.”

* * *

During his Arithmancy lesson Alice decided to sit as far from Draco as possible, which was easy to do as this class was forced to take a mixture of students from every house. The blonde had tried to speak to him, did his best to send him notes, only for Alice to send them back. He felt petty at the moment, avoiding his advances as if ignoring and giving Draco Malfoy the silent treatment would make him learn his lesson. When the class was done he made sure to speed walk his way towards the library, more interested in keeping his distance than to sit and eat with everyone else. He decided it might be a good time to research spells and jinxes related to aging.

Alice fantasized about being able to fool whatever restriction that was put in place, going about doing tremendous things at any task that was required for him to do, ending with him winning the tournament and Draco finally admitting he was wrong. Only in his fantasies, Draco wasn’t a prideful git who was able to apologize for being a git. He didn’t really enjoy what was happening. He was trying to avoid Draco and he ended up thinking about him. It wasn’t what he wanted to accomplish at all.

He finally decided to pull out his journal, looking at it for a moment. He flipped it to a page and decided to write.

_I will continue not talking to you until you apologize, I know that sounds like such a difficult thing to do given who you are, but I hope you can muster up enough strength to fight through your pretentiousness._

He watched the ink slowly fade into the page and sighed, shutting the book and gathering his things.

* * *

Harry had the journal on the table in the Gryffindor common room all night, trying to figure out why it was blank. His mind instinctively went back to Tom Riddle, which wasn’t a far cry from reality when he realized who owned the damn thing. He continued to cast it suspicious glares tempted to just stab it with the quill.

“What if...you stab it, and Malfoy dies?” Ron asked then, “I mean I wouldn’t really care, but imagine.”

“I highly doubt it’s something like Tom Riddle’s diary.” Hermione said in a snippy voice. “As much as I dislike Malfoy, I don’t wish to scare a bunch of Slytherin first-years if something like that happens.”

Harry frowned, “Malfoy isn’t the type to keep secrets in a journal.”

Ron cringed, “Oh can you imagine, _‘Dear Diary my day was horrible, my best friend got mad at me and my Defense teacher turned me into a ferret! I’m going to cry to my daddy so he can make it better.’_ ”

Harry laughed slightly, “It’s almost on the nose.”

“There’s only one way to tell if it’s like Tom Riddle’s diary.” Hermione said grimly, “Harry, you have to write in it.”

“Me? What if it answers back?”

“Then we will take it to Dumbledore immediately and have it destroyed!” Hermione replied seriously.

Just then the Journal was glowing a faint green and all three of them jumped. “What was that?” Hermione cried. “It’s glowing!”

Harry hesitantly touched it, “It’s warm.”

All three of them stared at the journal hesitantly, Hermione and Ron directing their eyes to Harry. The boy groaned, finally giving in to open the book. There was already writing on the first page.

“What does it say?” Ron asked.

“ _I will continue not talking to you until you apologize, I know that sounds like such a difficult thing to do given who you are, but I hope you can muster up enough strength to fight through your pretentiousness._ ” Hermione read aloud, frowning thoughtfully. “Apologize?”

Ron had a short moment to think before his eyes widened in realization, “This isn’t a cursed journal! I know what this is! That’s Blackwood speaking!”

“Huh?” Harry and Hermione looked at him curiously.

“It’s a thing.” Ron gestured with his hands, “Enchanted journals. They’re given to two people, they’re used to share secrets between each other.”

“Like a pager.” Hermione said quickly.

“Pager?” Ron was confused.

“Pagers. They’re tiny boxes that you can send important messages to whoever has one. It’s almost like a phone, but they’re used professionally. My parents have them.”

Harry looked on at the message, the handwriting and how it was worded. “Malfoy said something to Blackwood that offended him.” He said then.

“Blackwood doesn’t know that Malfoy doesn’t have the journal.” Hermione pointed out.

“We could use this to our advantage.” Ron suggested, getting a stern glare from Hermione. “What, they make our lives miserable, why not return the payback?”

“Because it’s wrong.” Hermione explained seriously, “We don't stoop to their level.” She paused for a moment, “We should give it back.”

“Are you a nutter?” Ron quirked a brow, “If we give that thing back to Malfoy he will think we stole it. Who knows what he will do.”

“We can’t just keep it.”

“Yes we can!”

“It’s their private thoughts!”

“They would do the same to us.”

Harry turned out the back-and-forth exchange after a while, setting the journal back down. He thought back to his first exchange with Blackwood and how sincere it felt, he could never hold a conversation with Malfoy like that. Despite what he was and who he was related to, he wasn’t as bad as Malfoy.

_“I suggest all of you leave now, please, for your own good!”_

Harry decided he needed to think about his response.

* * *

Amidst the silent treatment and his research about age alteration, Alice finally had a break come Thursday. He heard about Professor Moody from the sixth years, how he sounded...interesting. They wouldn’t really specify how the man was in class, they just decided that he needed to be there to experience it. Come Thursday he made his way into class, only to be cornered by Draco.

“I believe you’ve made your point, Alice, how about we just forget this never happened and get on with our year?”

Alice narrowed his eyes at the blonde. Had he not seen his message? He looked pointedly at Draco before passing him by, deciding to take a seat up front than their usual back seat.

When the rest of the students finally filed in, everyone had waited patiently for Moody to enter. When he did, he told everyone to put their books away. Alice grinned, hoping for a more hands-on experience. Perhaps he would be called up to duel. He wanted to be called up to duel. This was a famous Auror, even his parents heard of Alastor Moody. He knew his fare share of magic.

He just never expected the class to be about the unforgivables, with a live subject. He kept a firm watch on what was happening, as he was told about unforgivables by his father, yet he never seen them in action. His eyes kept on Professor Moody, taking note of his gait and facial expressions. He was erratic and without humor, but something about him seemed off. No one else could see it, everyone was paying too much attention to the spider that was being tortured. The way his face looked upon performing the Cruciatus seemed like a twisted form of pleasure. No Auror would take pleasure in the Cruciatus, nor would their eyes light up at the sight. The way he had done it, as well, in front of the Longbottom boy, as if on purpose. He was trying to torment the small Gryffindor. Alice kept quiet the entire time, studying Moody’s every expression. It wasn’t until the Killing Curse that he knew something was off. It affected Professor Moody like it was a thrill.

The lesson went on, and often the professor would take a swig of his flask. It didn’t sit well with him, how a professor would drink freely during a lesson. He didn’t care how good this Auror was, he knew what a flask was meant for. It was unsettling. By the time class was over Alice had begun to leave, seeing Draco hover around the door.

“Blackwood.” Called Moody.

Alice turned around, “Yes, sir?”

“Did you get a good enough look?” The ex-auror said gruffly, “Don’t think I didn’t know your eyes never tore away from me. You never took notes, not one scratch.”

Alice smiled thinly, “I know enough about the Unforgivables, sir. My father had taught me about them.”

Moody went silent for a beat and nodded, “That sounds like an American accent. Your father, he was an Auror?”

“Both of my parents, sir. They were top Aurors back in America. Taught me a lot before they died.”

The man studied him, “From the looks of it, you have family here. Severus Snape perhaps?” There was no doubt denying something that was obviously true, Alice wore his familiarity like a sign. He often thought to cut his hair, but then he didn’t feel comfortable in doing so.

“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Alice smirked slightly, and Moody barked out a laugh.

“If it weren’t for that accent I’d assume you were his son.” He pointed out, limping over to the desk to take another swig of his flask. Again. Alice frowned at that.

“Shouldn’t you be refraining from liquor while actively teaching?” He questioned, causing the professor to stare at him, slowly quirking a grin.

“You notice detail, just like an Auror.” He said, “It makes me wonder what else you notice.”

Alice didn’t really like where this was going, feeling something akin to danger creeping up his spine. “I need to get to dinner, sir.”

Moody shoved his flask in his pocket, “You may go. Just be aware, looking for things that aren’t there may put you into more trouble than you can possibly afford.” He said ominously. “Keep that in mind.”

Alice nodded slowly, turning sharply to leave the room. He knew a warning when he heard it.

* * *

Alice’s tantrum was funny at first, Draco assumed that Alice would be done with it by the end of the day. He didn’t expect his best friend to be intent on giving him the silent treatment well into October. He became increasingly annoyed at first, but eventually the time spent without Alice at it side felt just about wrong, and he didn’t know what Alice wanted. By the time it was the first of October, Draco was fed up.

“I don’t understand what he bloody wants.” Draco moaned to his other friends, “I don’t even know why he’s mad at me anymore! I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pansy pursed her lips, “I believe you did.”

He glared at her, “And how do you know?”

“We talk.” She said cooly, going about looking over her nails. “You know what you’ve done, and there’s just a simple way to remedy that.”

Millicent and Blase watched Draco try to wrack his own brain only to come up with nothing, growing increasingly annoyed by the whole thing. “Oh for Circe’s sake--” Blaise slapped the table, “I’m bloody sick of this! Pansy if you don’t tell him I swear to Merlin that I’ll end up taking a Ravenclaw to the Yule Ball.”

Pansy’s eyebrows shot up, “You--”

“He has a point.” Theodore said boredly, “We’re all quite fed up with Alice being petty and Draco crying about it.”

“A month is enough already.” Millicent said, turning a page of her book. Theodore turned towards her to read it but she shoved him away.

“Don’t let Snape catch you reading that.” Theodore teased.

The girl glared right back at her friend and shut the book, tucking it away.

Pansy and Blaise stared each other down until one of them finally broke. The girl pouted, folding her arms. “He wants you to apologize for claiming him as property.”

Draco blinked, “When did I claim him as property?”

“I believe the exact words you used were ‘You’re mine.’” Blaise drawled.

Draco went pink, “Well he is!”

Everyone began to groan, Blaise sliding his hand over his face. “Just bloody apologize to him and get it done with.”

“We’re tired of mummy and daddy fighting.” Theodore said mockingly.

Millicent snorted in amusement.

Draco was left glaring at his friends, wondering just when was he in the wrong about calling claim on a particular person. The more he thought about it and how that was why Alice was mad at him made him even more annoyed. Though if he didn’t say the one particular thing that Alice wanted him to say then he would keep it up. Someone had to be the bigger man.

If it meant that Draco was the bigger man, then it further meant that Alice was the pettiest Slytherin in Hogwarts.

It wasn’t hard to find Alice, who seemingly lived in the library among all the other Ravenclaws. He looked to be studying, although at further inspection, Draco realized that Alice was sleeping. He rolled his eyes and slid into the chair across from him, clearing his throat.

It took him a few tries until Alice finally began to stir, blinking a few times as he raised his head, instinctively moving his wrist to check his watch.

“Have a good beauty rest?” Draco quipped, grinning as Alice glared up at him. “Oh come off it.” He continued, settling himself. “I’m sorry, alright?”

Alice paused for a moment, glancing around and leaning closer, “Repeat that again?”

Draco narrowed his eyes, “Don’t make me repeat it.”

“Please, I didn’t hear you.” Alice said with a secretive smirk, “Just a little louder.”

Draco picked up Alice’s bag and threw it at him. “You know exactly what I said!”

“SHH!”

Alice sniggered at Draco’s frustration and finally smiled. “Was that so hard? It only took you what...a whole month?”

“Let’s just get past this.” Draco told him, “I’m tired, it’s late. Let’s call it a night.”

Alice re-checked his watch. It was a little after eight. “Curfew’s at nine.”

“I’m pretty sure it can wait.” Draco gestured to the nearly empty room, “Give Pince some rest.”

Alice thought about it, finally closing his book and using his wand to spell it back onto the shelf.

The two of them slowly stood up after Alice gathered his materials, exiting the library together.

“How fragile is your ego that you had to wait a month?” Alice questioned, “I messaged you the same day of our argument telling you what you had to do.”

Draco looked at him oddly, “Messaged me?”

“In our journals.” He clarified. “Don’t tell me you didn’t look at it.”

Draco frowned, “I don’t have my journal.”

Alice groaned, “Well you should have! I brought them both with me on the train!” He rummaged through his bag, pulling out his own. The further he went he discovered that Draco’s journal was missing. “I thought I gave it to you when we got to Hogwarts. I was keeping them hidden from FIlch.”

“You never gave me my journal, Alice...” Draco trailed off, the two boys looking at each other for a while.

“ _Son of a bitch_!”

* * *

The journal was still on his nightstand. Harry had to deal with both Ron and Hermione telling him what to do with it. He was vaguely tempted by now to throw it into the fireplace, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. This was a direct line to the most observant person in Hogwarts. He was the only one who was spot-on about Hermione’s time-turner in the middle of their third year, which Harry had remembered clearly when Hermione came back outraged over Professor Snape berating her about illegal activities and allowing a convict to fly away to freedom. Blackwood exposing her secrets had cost them one-hundred house points, until Professor Dumbledore countered it by awarding Hermione one-hundred and fifty - for heroism under pressure.

Blackwood was strange, however. Being Malfoy’s closest friend and ally, you’d expect the same amount of egotism and entitlement, but he wasn’t any of those. Blackwood never acted entitled, he was understanding of certain situations. He saved Hagrid and Buckbeak by telling Malfoy to not speak about it to his father. He also told Malfoy to stop using Ron’s family income as a topic of ridicule - according to Parvati, she and her sister had witnessed the entire conversation. On the other hand, he was still insufferable. According to Hermione, he was just as racist against muggleborns, and while he didn’t goad Malfoy into taunting them, he didn’t really tell Malfoy to stop. Sometimes he would join in on Malfoy’s fun without a thought.

Neither of his friends liked Blackwood as much as they liked Malfoy, but Harry couldn’t just let him slide past without notice. Blackwood was related to Snape, who had a grudge against Harry that reached around the globe at least twice. Yet unlike Snape, and unlike Malfoy, he actually understood how stupid it was that Harry was extremely famous over absolutely nothing.

_“I mean being put on a pedestal for something you had no control over, that’s silly isn’t it?”_

Blackwood saw him as an ordinary boy.

While Harry was thinking the journal on the nightstand had begun to glow. When he touched it the leather cover was warm. Harry sat up straighter in his bed and pulled the book into the bed, lighting up his wand to see what Blackwood had written.

Instead of words, he saw a drawing.

A baby Harry Potter holding a wand threateningly and exclaiming ‘Avada Kedavra’ to a snake-like monster.

Harry didn’t know how to respond. He was torn, for one it was horribly insulting but at the same time it was hilarious. He pulled out one of his muggle pens from the drawer of the nightstand to reply.

_Is it meant to be a joke?_

Almost immediately another line of text appeared before him.

_“Depending on who this is, it could either be a funny caricature or quite insulting. At least I didn’t draw you with a loaded nappie.”_

Harry grimaced.

_How did you know?_

_“I know a lot of things that many seem to ignore either due to their own ignorance or complete stupidity. There’s ways to figure out just about anything by reading faces and body language. For example, I know that Lovegood is fawning over Longbottom if you watch how she gazes over at the Gryffindor table. The Gryffindor Patil is in a secret relationship with Brown, if you start to notice the way they look at each other and often whisper secret words to each other. I know you aren’t really all that happy to be claimed as someone special when often or not you’re perceived as such.”_

_I notice things too, Blackwood. I notice that you speak differently than you write. In the journal you make yourself sound like Snape._

He wanted to ask further about the relationships, as he never thought such a thing existed here. Was Lavender and Parvati really together?

_“I’m starting to sound like Severus aren’t I?”_ The replay made him grin, it meant that Alice was self-aware. _“I’m hanging around him far too much.”_

_I won’t hold it over your head, now what was it that you said, Parvati and Lavender are together? Isn’t that illegal?_

There was a considerable moment of silence between both of them, Harry feeling that he was being laughed at for something that he didn’t know about. Eventually, a reply came.

_“You’re using a muggle pen to write. That and your question tells me a lot. You were probably raised by muggles, weren’t you?”_

_Is there a problem with that, Blackwood?_

_“It is in a sense. Muggles are...to put it delicately… Actually no I can’t really put any delicate words to this at all. They’re just plain prehistoric. If you were brought up by muggles than you were possibly brought up by religious ones at that. It’s a popular belief that same-sex couples are a sin and an abomination to god, and that ignorant view seemed to have become a norm in the muggle community. It’s not so in Wizarding communities. In fact, it’s more common. My grandparents were two wizards.”_

Harry suddenly felt overwhelmed. That was a lot of revelation to take in in a short amount of time, which made him realize that there was more to the world that he did not know about. He had to take a moment to think. Quite possibly two of his friends were in a relationship, and he suddenly didn’t know how to feel about that.

_“I hope I didn’t scare you.”_

_No - it’s a lot to understand. Give me a while._

_“It’s one of the reasons I don’t care for muggles in general, their blatant ignorance and refusal to accept things that are quite natural.”_

_At least you have a reasonable hatred of muggles other than ‘they’re lower then wizards’._

_“I can hear your sarcasm, Potter. I don’t quite think how purebloods do, don’t let my taste in company tell you otherwise.”_

_Right, and you didn’t call Hermione the M-word last year._

_“I deserved what I got, it was a slip of the tongue. I don’t claim to be a good person and I won’t beg anyone for forgiveness.”_

Harry had to stop, shutting the book a little after Blackwood’s reply and thinking. He was possibly the first Slytherin he ever had a normal conversation with that didn’t involve name calling or blatant insults. Blackwood didn’t make any passes about his past or tried to pick a fight.

Eventually Harry had to put the journal back, shoving it into the drawer instead of letting it sit on the nightstand. He had a lot to think about, and even more to come to terms with.

* * *

It was a simple piece of information that seemed to have a deep impact, and Alice discovered Potter actually scanning the school with open eyes, seemingly aware of his surroundings now. Those he thought were unbelievably close friends could be something more.

It was a fun culture-shock to witness, really.

Within time there came a notice on the bulletin board about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arriving at Hogwarts, and every professor in the school became obsessed with trying to educate their students on how to make a good impression. It was amusing to watch the caretaker do as much as possible to make the castle look ready for inspection, him and whoever had volunteered to assist him. Alice lamented on his lack of languages, not knowing either French or Bulgarian while his friend Draco gloated to him about knowing both of them.

_Good for you Draco, so does the rest of the purebloods_.

His hair was becoming a bit too long and something about that unnerved McGonagall during the time they had to wait outside before the arrival of the other schools. She had previously forced the Gryffindor Patil to remove her butterfly hair decoration while making others straighten their hats. His hair was apparently _too long_ and he had to tie it back with an elastic she had given him.

“And don’t make that face, you might scare someone.”

Draco snorted in amusement at his side.

“Shut up.” Alice muttered.

It was starting to get cold and everyone was getting impatient, some of them offering possibilities as to how they would arrive. None of them were close to the truth, as soon as a Gryffindor spotted the first arrival. He never knew horses could come in that size, but they did, and the carriage itself looked like a small home. The students that came out of the carriage itself were clearly not prepared for the chill of the night Scottish air. They all looked graceful and enchanting, which seemed to be a thing you learned how to be in France.

At least, that’s what he thought.

The next arrival was by the lake, a larger than life ship coming out from under the lake itself. He enjoyed that entrance most of all, heading over with Draco and the rest of the Slytherins to catch a glimpse of the students that Durmstrang decided to send. He was impressed by how the students looked. Intimidating. Coming from a school that taught the dark arts, of course they looked that way. The last student to come out was with the headmaster, and Alice suddenly felt Draco’s hand grasping his wrist.

“It’s Viktor Krum!”

* * *

The Durmstrang students opted to sit with the Slytherins, Draco offering Krum his seat as soon as he made eye-contact with the young man. He was ecstatic, which he should be. Alice was happy that Draco could have another conversation with Krum, a much longer one than he did at the Quidditch Cup. To Alice’s left was another Durmstrang student, a boy that casually looked on with amusement. Alice caught his eyes and grinned sheepishly.

“He’s excited.”

“I see zat.” The boy looked...handsome. Alice could appreciate the strong facial features and stony build. Clean shaven, he was a brunette with amazingly amber eyes. He looked like he could lift Alice up and do squat thrusts with him over his head. The thought seemed to have him nearly red and suddenly he pulled his eyes away.

“Vhat vere you zhinking?” The boy grinned at Alice’s sudden shyness. “You’re zuddenly red as borscht.”

“A passing thought that you could easily wield me like a weapon, nothing important.” Alice said embarrassingly, trying to will himself to stop. If anyone needed a time-turner right now, it was him.

“You look light enouzh to carry.” He seemed to be amused at Alice’s embarrassment, holding out his hand. “Ivan Nikolov.”

Alice pulled every ounce of willpower inside of him. Here was the test. “Alice. Alice Blackwood.” He shook the other’s hand, waiting for the inevitable question.

Ivan smiled, grasping his hand strongly and giving it a firm shake. “Alice, that’s girly name.”

Alice’s inner timer seemed to ring on the correct time, .1 seconds after he uttered his name. His interest in the boy next to him seemed to die out just as quickly as soon as Ivan said it, the Slytherin smiling tightly, turning away from Ivan suddenly to return to his meal.

After the meal was over, Professor Dumbledore had finally brought everyone’s attention to the forefront, the old wizard bringing out the Goblet of Fire and explaining to everyone about the age line. Alice’s eyes fell onto the goblet and his mind began to run at hyperspeed, going through all the aging spells and potions he had researched in the previous months. He immediately forgot about Ivan and his eyes, doing the math inside of his head on how to get his name in the goblet.

He had taken out his sketchbook to flip over to the extensive list of spells he had to go through, finally reaching over to nudge Draco’s shoulder. The blonde finally turned over to his friend, peering into the book and giving Alice a smirk.

“You’re really going to do it are you?”

Alice looked up at Draco, “How could I not? It’s a perfect opportunity to do something amazing!” He ran his fingers along the list of options. “All I have to do is beat an age line, don’t I?”

“You’re not the only one who’s going to try and fool it, what makes you think you’ll be able to do it?”

“My dad taught me at a young age, you don’t get what you want by just wishing and begging for it. You get what you want with hard work and determination.” He tapped his finger at a certain spell. “I want this, Draco. I’m determined as hell to get it.”

“You want the prize money and the glory, how Slytherin of you.” Draco commented with a playful smirk.

“I don’t want either of those. I’m doing it _because I can_.”

The only thing he needed in order to do this was complete privacy. He wouldn’t be able to complete what he wanted if he had an audience. He would be stopped before he could even try. His idea was so utterly stupid, however, as it was the simplist solution to getting past the age line. It was exactly why he needed to do it when no one else was watching. Or awake.

Alice made sure to wait until two AM to actually leave his commonroom, a wand in his hand and the slip of paper in his pocket. He took his time in slipping through the dungeon and the basement, ducking into an alcove quickly when he heard a painting move. He glanced out from his hiding spot, seeing the Weasley twins stroll on out of the pear painting with food in their arms, both of them lightly discussing tomorrow. They seemed proud, and it told him that they too were planning to do the same thing he planned. Alice kept his distance, following them up to the first floor and keeping himself hidden as they gazed onward at the flaming cup in the entrance hall.

“We’ll get around that easy.” One said with an air of confidence.

“We got it in the bag, Freddie, the aging potion is foolproof.”

Alice rolled his eyes. An aging potion. He did his best not to make a sound, moving when they finally decided to leave. He was all alone in the entrance hall now, as far as he knew. The flaming goblet’s blue light the only thing that illuminated the entire room. Alice took a slow walk up to the cup, stopping right before the age line.

Alice took one cautious step back as he pulled out his parchment from his pocket, looking at it and smiling to himself. He didn’t have to go inside the age line if he could easily go over it.

Alice held the parchment in his palm, tapping it with his hand, “ _Wingardium Leviosa_.” He whispered, grinning as it raised up into the air. Carefully, Alice hovered it up higher and further into the line, grinning widely the closer he became. Eventually the slip of paper was right over the cup.

“ _Finite_.”

The slip of paper was overtaken by gravity, fluttering downward, eventually engulfed by the goblet’s flames.

Alice smiled, using his fingers to twirl his wand. If what he did worked, he would finally be able to prove that he was capable of just about anything. He would prove his father wrong and be able to know for in fact, that he was better than his father ever could be.

“Blackwood!”

Alice winced, turning around to see Professor Moody glaring at him. “What are you doing in here?” He growled. “Out past curfew, breaking rules. Were you planning to slip your name into that goblet?”

“It’s not a plan anymore.” Alice said only to himself, but he knew Mad-Eye could hear him. “Foolhardy chance at glory, can you blame me?” He asked.

The man limped closer to Alice, his wand trained at the boy. “I should be throwing a year’s worth of detentions your way!” He snarled, “Just what is it that you think you can achieve by entering the Tournament?”

Alice put his wand away and held his hands up, showing him that he was unarmed. “Would you believe it if I told you it was pure spite?”

The man quirked a brow, “Humor me, Blackwood.”

He smiled sheepishly, evading the question. “How much trouble am I in?”

Moody took a long look at the goblet and then at him, “If your name is chosen, I can’t imagine the shitstorm that will come your way.” He smirked slightly, “You’ve made your bed, Blackwood, now you will just have to pray for forgiveness.”

Alice wasn’t at least one bit scared. “It’s a binding magical contract, there’s no way of escaping it once someone’s chosen.” He said factually. “My father used to tell me tales about the Triwizard Tournament.” He looked back at the goblet. “I know almost the entire history.”

“Your father, you said he was the top Auror in his age, wasn’t he?” Moody questioned, amused.

“My dad was well revered and respected, and did his best to train me to become just that. I plan to become better than him.”

Moody cracked a grin, “You crave power and recognition. Careful with that talk, Blackwood, the Dark Lord might look for a boy such as you for his ranks. I say if you beat the Tournament then you might have what it takes.”

Alice paused at that, “The Dark Lord, you mean Voldemort?”

“Heard of him, have you? Awfully powerful wizard. I’ve dealt with him many times.” His scarred face didn’t give anything away, the nasty grin forming on his gnarled features for a split second before leaving entirely. “I don’t expect anything less from Snape’s kin. Perhaps you’ll end up following in his footsteps.”

Alice took in the man’s recognition, how Moody was watching him with cold calculation like he was a puzzle to be solved, a puzzle that he wanted to solve. “Am I in trouble sir?”

Moody seemed to snap out of it, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, ten points from Slytherin, now get out!” He barked, shooing Alice out of the room.

Alice did as he was told, hurrying out of the room and down the hall. He didn’t quite understand why Professor Moody was skulking around at two AM but he figured it was because the man was too paranoid to sleep. At least he wasn’t drinking from that damn flask.

Ten points lost to Slytherin wasn’t going to be as bad as the ramifications he’d receive if his name was pulled, however.

* * *

The next morning everyone was surrounding the goblet, all the Durmstrang students entering their names in one by one. Alice went to sit beside Draco in the far corner, the blonde watching Krum throw in his name before turning to his friend.

“Did you?” He asked.

Alice looked back at Draco, smiling. He didn’t say anything about the matter, but his eyes said everything. Draco snorted in amusement and shoved Alice playfully.

They watched on as the Beauxbaton students filed in to hand over their names, all of them accept for a smaller blonde girl, who looked related to one of them. She ran over to hug a taller, prettier girl after she had entered her name, both of them speaking in fast french.

“Is it me or is she quite attractive?” Draco asked, unable to look away from the girl.

“You’re asking the wrong person.” Alice was resting his chin in his hand, watching on with little interest. He glanced back at Draco, watching him stare, reminded of the Quidditch Cup when the Veela were introduced to the crowd. Alice seemed to be one of the few men that weren’t affected by them.

“I have the weirdest urge to go over there and impress her.” Draco was starting to stand up, and Alice reached out to drag him back down.

“As much as I want to watch you make a fool of yourself, I don’t really think that’s best.” Alice scanned the room, noticing other boys gazing over her way and fidgeting with themselves, it was the same thing that happened the night before. Alice smirked just then, shoving Draco aside, “Of course!”

Draco almost fell over, moving to shove Alice just as hard, “What?”

“The girl has Veela blood in her.” He surmised. “You’re not the only one oogling her, look.” He pointed where the girl had gone, picking out Weasley who instantly stood up to greet her.

Something about that made Draco’s face screw up offendedly, “Don’t you dare put me in the same category as Weasley.”

“I guess I should have made you go over there and embarrass yourself, but you’re more enchanted with Krum than the Veela girl.” Alice grinned cheekily, earning him another shove.

“Quiet.”

“You talked with him the entire time we were there.” He egged on, “I had to pry your head away.” He could tease Draco all day if he wanted to, only because his friend made it perfectly easy. Draco continued to try and get Alice to shut up about it, eventually lunging at him to physically cover his mouth. It elicited some laughter from nearby students and earned him odd stares from the Gryffindor table. Eventually their moment was brought to a standstill as the Hufflepuff sixth years came in loudly, surrounding Cedric Diggory as the boy went over in confident strides to put his name in the goblet, his friends cheering and shaking his shoulders as if he was a surefire candidate to win. Draco rolled his eyes at the display, only to slap the back of his hand onto Alice’s chest quickly to get his attention.

Coming in from the stairway were the most famous Gryffindor pranksters, and Alice recalled their conversation the night before. His eyes glinted amusedly and he leaned in to whisper in Draco’s ear. “They’ve made an aging potion.” He pointed out as Fred, George, and Lee Jordan downed what they’ve created.

Draco was hoping it didn’t work, which was saying a lot. “If they end up getting it--”

“They won’t.” Alice said honestly, pointing at the age-line that they jumped across. “You can’t fool the age line. It was made by Dumbledore, and he’s too powerful to allow a simple potion to fool it.”

True to his word, the three wizards were blasted back, being given white beards as a parting gift. Everyone began laughing.

“If that was true then how did you get past it?” Draco whispered.

Alice smiled cooly, unaware of certain green eyes watching them. “The trick is that you don’t pass the line at all.”

Draco laughed, slapping Alice’s back hard as he did. “I can’t wait.” He grinned, “You’ll certainly impress my father if this works in your favor.”

Alice coughed at the forceful slap and shook his head. Draco didn’t really know the entire reason why he was determined to enter the tournament, but knowing that his friend had his back made him feel good about his chances.

It was later that night that everyone was anxious to find out the goblet’s decision on who the Champions would be. Dumbledore seemed to know how to make the anticipation stretch out, knowing that everyone was on edge to know the results. When everyone was finished eating it was finally time to withdraw the names. 

“Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision,” said Dumbledore. “I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions’ names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber to receive their first instructions.” He gestured to the door in the back as he spoke.

Everyone was murmuring, staring at the goblet with anticipation. Alice watched onward, showing nothing but on the inside he was coiled up like a spring ready to be released.

The cup’s flames suddenly ignited and turned red, and a single paper fluttered out, burnt around the edges. Dumbledore caught it immediately, setting his eyes on the Slytherin table.

“The champion for Durmstrang--is Viktor Krum!”

Everyone burst into applause, Draco grinned winningly as Krum, at his side, stood up to do as he was instructed. He showed little to no emotion over the decision, but it was clear that his reactions were well hidden. Alice clapped along with everyone else.

A second paper was expelled from the flames next, fluttering downward into the headmaster’s hand.

“The champion for Beauxbatons--is Fleur Delacour!”

Alice watched as the Veela girl had stood up, looking extremely satisfied with the decision while the other students with her began to weep publicly. He applauded with the rest of them, feeling his heart start to pound. It was nearing the moment of truth, if he was really deemed worthy by the goblet. Next to him, Draco put a strong hand on his thigh, as to stop Alice’s leg from bouncing in excitement.

Then, the flames roared to life, spitting out the next slip of paper. Alice sucked in a breath and held it, watching as Dumbledore took it in his hand.

“The champion for Hogwarts is--” He blinked at the name, re-reading it and looking straight at the Slytherin table. “Alice Blackwood.”

Draco burst into applause and so did his friends, but they were the only ones cheering, as mostly everyone else were silent with confusion and whispering amongst each other. Alice calmly stood up, his eyes moving to the professor’s table and noticing Severus immediately, the man looking silently enraged at the entire thing.

“Go!” Draco shoved him forward, and Alice cracked a smile, his eyes meeting Professor Moody’s as the man seemed to grin knowingly at him, all the other professors looked aghast at the entire ordeal.

Alice should have known it would be met with mixed response. He could hear the Weasley twins cry out at the injustice before making his way into the back room, stepping down the steps quietly to join the rest of the Champions. He wasn’t able to reach them, a strong hand grabbing the back of his collar as Severus swooped in and dragged him over to a wall.

“What - did - you - do?” He asked slowly, his eyes narrowed at the boy. Alice had a fairly good idea that he was in trouble, but how could he deny what he had done? He did this on purpose.

“I--” His throat suddenly went dry, swallowing the thick lump in his throat. He suddenly lost all the will to tell his caretaker the truth, and he opened his mouth again, “I just--”

The door opening again interrupted Alice’s slow confession, and he turned to see Harry Potter step in, looking as white as a sheet and horribly confused. “Potter?” Alice’s voice broke as he said the other’s name.

“I--I didn’t do it.” He said immediately, a phrase that sounded like it was meant to come out earlier. In the background was outcries from other houses. Potter stopped right at Alice and Severus’s side, looking lost. “You were called too--”

Severus looked like he was going to explode, “BOTH OF YOU--”

“Harry!” Dumbledore and Moody came down instantly, Professor Dumbledore casting a judgemental glance at Alice before going to the other boy, “Tell me, did you put your name in the goblet?” He asked calmly.

“Of course he did!” Shouted out another voice, Kakaroff, while the other two headmasters came to investigate.

“I didn’t--” Harry tried, “Honest, Professor Dumbledore, I didn’t--”

“What about zhe other boy?” Madam Maxime interrupted, “Dumblydor you haz two underage ztudents--”

“Is this your way of cheating, allowing two Hogwarts students into the tournament?” Kakaroff snarled.

Alice had lost the ability to speak, looking from headmaster to headmaster, as they all began to shout and demand a proper explanation. Severus’s hand on his shoulder tightened and Alice could feel himself become sick. He didn’t expect Potter to be here, was he really chosen? How could that be?

“Quiet!” Dumbledore finally shouted, gaining a well earned silence from everyone, at his side, the Minister and Barty Crouch were there, staring at both fourth years with suspicion.

“Will someone explain themselves?” Minister Fudge looked directly at Alice first, as well as Crouch. Both of them looked accusing.

Alice winced as Severus’s grip became tighter, a silent warning that he shouldn’t lie. “I put my name in.” He said finally, holding up his hands. “I was up last night and I went to put my name in!”

Moody smirked.

“How did you bypass the age line?” Crouch barked, “Who did you bribe to put it in?”

“I didn’t bribe anyone.” Alice said seriously, glancing up at Severus, “The age line isn’t the best of protection. Everyone else thought an aging potion to get through it, I just decided not to try to pass it at all.”

Everyone went eerily quiet, Severus staring down at him, soon shaking his shoulder. “Explain further!” He ordered.

“Hovering charm.” Alice said honestly, “All you need to do is stand at the edge and administer a hovering charm to your paper and drop it right when it’s above the goblet. I don’t see why no one tried that other than me.”

The silence continued before people broke out into arguments.

“A first-year charm!”

“How could zhis ‘appen?”

“The age line was supposed to stop this!”

“How many other students have tried this? What do we do now?”

While everyone shouted at each other, Alice could feel eyes on him. He turned to look at Potter, who stared back at him silently.

“You put your name in willingly?” His voice was smaller than everyone else’s, but Alice could hear it plainly. He just gave Potter a faint smile.

“--zhis children zhould be eliminated!”

“SILENCE!” Dumbledore bellowed.

“We seem to have an obvious problem.” Moody snarled out, “We have one student who willingly put his name in, and one student who claimed he didn’t.”

“But I didn’t--”

“I’m afraid we can’t do anything about this!” Fudge bemoaned, “The Goblet of Fire’s decision is final, these underage boys are now under a binding magical contract.”

“They cannot resign.” Crouch said finally.

Severus didn’t let go of Alice, glaring down at him, “You will be punished accordingly, Blackwood.”

Alice felt his throat go dry again, as Severus using his surname wasn’t a good sign. He was finally let go, and Alice stumbled over to Potter. Dumbledore was looking at Alice judgmentally, even if it wasn’t obvious on his face, before pulling Harry away to console the boy. There was obvious favoritism happening, and Alice didn’t understand it.

Draco’s anger towards Potter seemed to make sense now, how the headmaster seemed to act to him versus everyone else. Potter was the favored student, possibly because of his name. He began to understand why Draco hated him so much.

After everything was settled the students were sent back to their dormitories, but for Alice, Severus forcefully made him follow the man back to his quarters, and the boy knew that he was going to get an earful. Perhaps he should have taken his caretaker’s reactions into the equation when he decided to do this stupid thing.

“What were you POSSIBLY THINKING?” He exploded at Alice as soon as the door was shut, “I know your IQ hadn’t dropped ten decibels since the time I’ve taken you in until yesterday, so I assume you have a perfectly good reason for doing the stupidest thing I could ever imagine you doing!”

Alice smiled nervously, stepping away from the man, “It’s not just me sir, Harry Potter--”

“Don’t you DARE deflect!” He hissed out, “I want to know what was going through your thick brain as you were forming this plot! Did Draco know about this?”

“Of course he did!” Alice’s voice broke, “He supported me!”

Severus palm rested on his face and he brought it up, combing his hair back. He looked completely done with the boy already. “You do realize what you’ve done, haven’t you? You’ve entered a--”

“A legally binding magical contract--” Alice interrupted him, regretting doing so immediately. Severus only glowered at him, “In my defense, I went into this knowing everything that might happen to me. I’m not doing this blind.”

The man wanted to break open the scotch right about now. “Humor me and tell me your reason for doing this.” He waited for Alice to speak, and it had to be a pretty good damn reason.

“I guess you’re not going to take ‘Because I wanted to’, are you?” He smiled sheepishly, keeping a fair distance from the man. Severus wanted to strangle him, it was obvious. “Isn’t that what the Triwizard Tournament is about, achieving glory? I feel that I deserve the glory.”

“Alice. This is not just a simple game. This is a dangerous competition where you have a chance of dying--”

“I know that!” His voice wavered, “I told you before, I’m not doing this blind. I wasn’t going to just wait if the tournament came around again! My dad always told me that you don’t get what you want by just wishing and begging for it. You get what you want with hard work and determination.”

“Your father would be rather enraged with you as much as I am right now!” Severus barked.

“My father thought I wouldn’t be able to do this at all!” Alice shouted, glaring at him. “Before you go off and tell me what _my father_ would feel perhaps you should actually know my father first.” He turned away from Severus, glaring at the wall. “My father put me through backbreaking training in order to be the best. He wanted me to become him, and even if I pushed myself as best as I could I still wasn’t good enough!” He cried out. “He told me all about this Tournament, and what heroic risks and everything people had to do to achieve glory! He also told me, in the same breath, that I could never be chosen! That I wasn’t good enough and I would never be good enough!” He couldn’t even look at Severus right now, feeling every once of his bottled up anger towards his own father. “Well look at me now, the goblet has chosen me! Out of all of these students who volunteered it was ME who was chosen to be the best candidate!” He slammed his hands into the fireplace mantle. “So forgive me if I’m doing this to be petty and prove a point to a dead man, because I’m pretty much starting to prove him wrong--”

Alice stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, almost freezing up and expecting more screaming. He actually prepared himself for it, hanging his head.

“Your father wanted too much out of you, Alice.” He said softly. “To want to prove to your father that you’re better than him by entering the most dangerous tournament imaginable is the most foolish thing you could ever do.”

Alice shut his eyes and breathed in, he could still feel that ball of anger. “Unless you had a father who expected you to be the best and always raised the bar when you thought you were winning, then don’t tell me what’s foolish of me.” He said quietly, finally quirking his lips up. “I’m determined to win.”

Severus stepped away from him, bothered, “Alright. Say that you win the tournament. You’ve finally proved to your father that you were better than he could ever be. You’ve managed to do the impossible. Then what? Will you be satisfied with just that or will you drive yourself onto another impossible task? How many victories will it take to appease the ghost of your dead father?” He narrowed his eyes, “I know where this goes, Alice. You’re on the search for things that will lead you down the wrong path, into the hands of people that you do not wish to cross! Fame and recognition doesn’t lead you to what you want!”

Alice finally let go of the mantle, turning around. He looked tired and broken, that ball of anger having doused into nothing but wet ashes of despair. “What I want is not to live in my father’s shadow. You don’t understand. _I was an accident_.”

There was a beat of silence between the two, Alice smiling widely. “You think I would be treated like a normal child, given a proper name and a mother who actually wanted to raise me. I wasn’t a proper child. My mother never told me but it was clear on her face, I wasn’t meant to be born. The only one who was willing to raise me was my dad, and he did it in the worst way possible. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that both of them never wanted me.”

His words seemed to bring Severus to a full stop, the man going quiet and watching Alice as if he was a wild animal that might just bite him if he made too much of a sudden movement. Alice’s emotions were presented clearly on his face, everything he felt about his parents tied up in every single word. He didn’t know what to say to ease the boy’s sadness. He knew how it felt to have a father who didn’t want him around. This boy was nearly in Severus’s shoes, coming from a home life he did not want and making the wrong decisions, and he could imagine the boy when he was older, carrying heavy regrets in one arm and a dark mark in the other.

He didn’t want to watch as his past decided to repeat itself.

Alice knew he was about to break down and cry, but he was doing his best not to do it here. Not in front of Severus. Crying was showing weakness, crying wasn’t accepted. It was getting harder to force himself to hold it in, and he had to leave. Alice finally turned away and rushed to the door.

“Alice!”

The door was slightly open when his name was called, and Alice’s breaths came in spurts, his legs unable to keep him up and finally he felt himself break down, slamming his fist onto the door as he slid down onto it, crying ugly tears that he wished he wasn’t. He hated being seen in this state, it was more than embarrassing and distasteful. He could practically hear his own father yelling at him to suck it up.

He just didn’t expect the consoling hand on his shoulder while his caretaker managed to usher him back to the settee, allowing the boy to rest his head in his lap as he waited patiently for the boy to finish. Alice was utterly humiliated at this point, curling in on himself.

“Perhaps you’re my child after all.” Said the man above him.

The absurdity of the words just had him falter, the boy wiping away his tears and grimacing at the implications.

“That would imply that you and my mother--”

He slapped the boy on the head, “Quiet.”

* * *

Alice finally got back into the Slytherin common room after another hour, Severus insisting they had a full conversation that concluded with a newfound respect for his caretaker. It didn’t change the fact that he had detention for five months over what he did, but he never really spent so much time with someone who actually offered to listen to him about his past, aside from Draco. He still was determined to move on with his plans to win the tournament, however, that hadn’t changed. He still had something to prove to himself, if not his father.

He went about his usual routine to change into his pyjamas, finally settling in his bed. He couldn’t sleep, there was just too much on his mind. Alice pulled the curtains open and went for his bag, dragging it into the bed and searching for his journal. It was glowing, telling him that Potter had sent him something.

When he opened up the journal he was presented with the question. _“Why did you put your name in?”_

Alice sighed, according to Severus, Potter didn’t put his name in at all, or bribe a student to do so. He wasn’t told why, but it sounded like it was some sort of plot against the boy, like someone did it so Potter would die in the tournament. Alice pulled out his quill and thought a bit.

_I did it to prove something. I was told that you didn’t put yours in, is that true?_

He didn’t expect a reply, it was late in the morning and everyone was dead asleep. He was about to put his journal back until it turned warm in his lap and the cover began to glow. Why was he up so late?

_“I didn’t put my name in! Not like you’ll believe me. No one really does.”_

_I believe you._

_“You do?”_

_Why would I think you’re lying? It was clear on your face when I saw you. Your skin was white and you kept repeating it. You were anxious and scared._

_“You’re the only one who believes I’m not lying. Even Ron thinks I did it on purpose - for attention!”_

_You don’t really want attention, I don’t see how that’s logical._

_“What?”_

_I notice you, when people talk about your ‘feats’ you don’t look proud of it. You look awkward and dodgy, like you don’t want to talk about it. You do what you can to not get attention, but people give it to you anyway._

_“Tell Malfoy that.”_

_Why?_

_“He’s the number one person who assumes I’m trying to seek attention. That and Professor Snape. They’re tied, actually.”_

_Draco...he’s biased when it comes to you. It’s not that you want attention, I think it’s because people tend to treat you like you’re the golden boy no matter what and I think he might be jealous of that. Like how Dumbledore went to console you and looked at me accusingly, he was treating you special. He’s biased when it comes to you, a lot of people are. I don’t know about Severus, though._

_“Not my friends. They like me for me, that’s why they’re my friends.”_

_Except for the fact that Weasley hates you and thinks you’re doing it for attention._

_“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”_

_“Why did you enter your name in? Why are you trying to prove a point?”_

_I’m sorry, Potter, I think we need to be at least tier two friends before I let you into my life. We’re not even friends._

_“Why can’t we be?”_

Alice paused for a moment, re-reading the question. Was he being serious?

_What?_

_“Why can’t we be friends? We seem to get on fine. You’re the only Slytherin that doesn’t insult me.”_

_I’m a Slytherin, period. You’re a Gryffindor. Think about it. Not to mention I’m Draco’s best friend, I’m not sure he would be happy if I just started talking to you without a hint of malice. I doubt Weasley would like you talking to me casually, either._

_“Well when you put it like that. But what? We can only talk to each other in secret?”_

_You have Draco’s journal, Potter. I’m expecting you to give it back to him._

_“What if I don’t?”_

_That’s theft of property, Potter._

_“I don’t care, this is the only way we can communicate.”_

_No it isn’t, ever heard of Owl Post? It’s pretty easy._

_“Owl Post appears at breakfast and Malfoy is able to read over your shoulder. I prefer this way. Discreet.”_

_Potter, please._

_“Harry.”_

_No. I’m not putting us on a first name basis._

_“Why not, Alice?”_

_Because of that. You uttering my name is just weird._

_“Alice is a pretty good name, nothing weird about it.”_

_It’s a girl’s name._

_“So?”_

Alice quickly shut the book, shoving it far from himself. It started to glow again and he refused to open it.

He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle the fact that Harry Fucking Potter didn’t find anything weird about his name.

* * *

The next week was…

Interesting.

He didn’t know how long Draco took his time into making them, but when he was done every Slytherin had them. The badges that proudly said “Support Alice Blackwood” in silver and green before warping into “Potter Stinks”. Draco looked proud of his little project, holding up the basket that contained all of his late hours of hard work. Alice was bombarded with support from his own house, most of them proclaiming their support for the boy.

It was after lunch when Potter and his pals discovered it, Draco making sure Alice had a pin on his lapel as Potter and Granger, along with the other Gryffindors, came their way. Their eyes were on the badges, in which Draco had gloated about making them. Harry seemed to flash Draco an angry glare at the Slytherin’s taunts, including calling Granger a mudblood, brandished his wand and threatened it at both of them.

Everyone rightfully scattered.

“Harry!” Granger said warningly, “You’re going against two of them!”

“I don’t care!”

Alice held up his hands, refusing to have anything to do with it, but Draco seemed to have other ideas. That’s when Alice realized that Vincent and Gregory were coming to Draco’s aide, making it, technically, four against one. “I think it’s a little too much.”

“Step aside then, Alice.” Draco’s eyes never left Potter’s, “I’ve been waiting to do this for a while.”

Alice glanced over and noticed Weasley just watching, deciding not to join in and defend his best mate, giving Alice a good sneer before he tore his eyes away. “Alright.” Alice said, giving up and looking at Potter, “If you think you can fight off three Slytherins, be my guest.” He moved over to Blaise and Pansy’s side of the corridor.

“Furnunculus!” Harry yelled.

“Densaugeo!” screamed Malfoy.

Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles — Potter’s hit Gregory in the face, and Draco’s hit Granger. Gregory howled in pain as great ugly boils were forming upon his nose while Weasley and Potter went over to Granger, and Alice caught it right away, the fact that her teeth were larger than normal.

He caught a glare when Alice couldn’t help but laugh, covering it with his hand quickly as Granger screamed terribly.

It was then when Severus decided to swoop down upon them, inquiring about the small battle. “Just what is going on here?” He immediately got a flurry of responses from everyone but Alice, who was too busy trying to not bark out his laughter, pointing at Draco to explain everything. 

“Potter attacked me, sir —”

“We attacked each other at the same time!” Harry shouted.

“— and he hit Goyle — look —”

Gregory looked like a mess, honestly. Alice grimaced when he finally looked at him again, the boils seemed to spread into fungus, making him look outright atrocious. He was rightfully sent to the hospital wing.

“Hermione got hurt too!” Weasley shot back, “Look at her!”

Severus took an examining look at Granger, quirking a brow. “I see no difference.”

Alice lost it, barking out a laugh he instantly covered with his fist as the two boys glowered at Severus as if they wished to hex him. Granger had welled up in tears and turned quickly to run away as fast as possible. Potter and Weasley had begun to yell at him for what he had said, both of their voices mixing together and becoming unintelligible, though if you listened closely, you knew exactly what they were saying. It earned them detention and a fifty point deduction to their house.

Alice managed to straighten up as they went on inside, sitting next to Draco as the boy looked practically smug at what he had accomplished. They were on the subject of poisons and antidotes, something he didn’t have time to prepare for, and he knew that Severus would use him as a guinea pig experiment to further drive home his need to improve on his own potions work. In the back of his mind he was chiding himself, that Severus wouldn’t outright poison his own charge, perhaps Potter, but not him.

What was his saving grace was the Creevy boy, bursting in and informing Severus about Potter and Alice’s need to leave, now. Alice never thought he’d be thankful to see a Gryffindor in his life.

However, once he went into the great hall during dinnertime, he was a witness to something different than the badges Draco created. Not all of the Gryffindors were wearing them, but a handful of people, including the Weasley Twins, had on “Go Harry Go!” badges in Gryffindor’s colors, that warped, not too surprisingly, into silver and green “Blackwood Cheats”, that actually blew a raspberry at whoever was looking at it. The Slytherins cast glowers over at the Gryffindor table, all the while Potter and Alice just stared at each other down without a word before Alice finally sat with his own house.

“Who knew word would get out about Draco’s project.” Alice said sarcastically.

“Not all the Gryffindors are wearing them.” Said Pansy, “Most of the school knows that Potty did it to get attention.”

“Some would counter by saying that I did it to get attention.” Alice said, frowning.

“You didn’t though,” Blaise grinned, “You did it to bring glory to Slytherin!”

Draco grinned, shaking Alice’s shoulder supportively. “We all know who’s the winner here.”

* * *

Between then and the first task, Alice decided to double-up on his studying. Since the tournament was meant for those who were of age, he was meant to know more spells than he knew now. He managed to snag some books from the older students, a whole stack of fifth, sixth, and seventh year lesson books. He stuck with the subjects he was best at, which was charms, transfiguration, and defense, doing his best to learn OWL and NEWT level spells. His detentions were with Professor Snape, in which he pleaded to the man to help him with his studies.

Aside from taking on his new spell courses, he spent the nights communicating with Harry. Harry. It sounded funny in his mouth. He didn’t like it, but Harry insisted on using his given name until Alice relented. Harry and Alice would talk about nothing important for the first few days, sharing point of views and learning about each other in the only way enchanted journals allowed. He managed to ask if anyone was helping Alice with his first task preparation. No one knew what it was as of yet, but rumors were that it involved knowing a lot of spells. Alice explained what he was doing and suggested that Harry obtain The Standard Book of Spells Grade 5/6/7 books from someone he knew and train with someone he trusted. Alice had to remind them that they were both fourth years taking on seventh years, and that they had to be well prepared. Harry then made a comment that it was too much preparation.

_I’m in it to win, Harry. Too much preparation is essential._

Even if he wished to cram at all hours, Severus had decided to force him to actually not study. While he was pleased that Alice wasn’t taking the tournament lightly, it was starting to be unnerving. He instructed Draco to drag Alice out of the school on Saturday during the Hogsmeade weekend, kicking and screaming if he had to. The blonde had no qualms in forcing his best friend to do something that he wanted him to do, as Alice always folded and did it anyway. It didn’t stop the boy from trying, however, taking an advanced transfiguration book along with him before his friend snatched it away and threatened to blast it into the Shrieking Shack.

“The point of today is to not study.” He told Alice harshly, as if one would lecture a ten year old. “I understand you’re willingness to be caught up with the rest of them but you’re driving yourself loony.”

Alice looked offended at the accusation, “I’m trying to make sure I don’t lose.”

“You’re becoming Granger.” Draco said it as if it was an insult, hissing out her name. “Do you really want to become Granger?”

He flinched, “Am I really getting that bad?”

“You’re sleeping with your books, yes you’re getting that bad.” Draco smirked, both boys passing a group of Beauxbatons students, surrounding Delacour like a wall. They cast a nasty glare at Alice as they walked by, and the boy only blinked in surprise.

“They still don’t like me.”

“Who cares about them.” Draco rolled his eyes. “We all know who’s going to win.”

Alice chuckled, patting Draco’s back. “I’m amazed at your unwavering faith in me.” They caught the eyes of some Durmstrang students, not receiving as many nasty glares, but quiet calculation, as if they were sizing Alice up.

Draco for some reason, didn’t like their gazing, pulling Alice towards another street and leading him towards a shop. “They’re trying to find your weakness.” He said irritably.

“They have to catch me in Potions class.” Alice quipped, the two of them heading to The Three Broomsticks. Upon opening the door, Alice could see that it was packed to the brim. Students from all three schools were inside, chatting it up and drinking assorted drinks, mainly butterbeers. A few had paused to catch a glimpse at who had entered, their faces twisting in disgust depending on who it was. Alice really felt welcomed, he really did. Further to the side he caught sight of the rest of his friends in a booth, Blaise waving him down while Pansy and Theodore laughed about something. Alice and Draco pushed themselves through the crowd and sat at the booth, Draco having to snatch a chair that had just became free to sit on the side.

“Everyone’s been talking about you and Potty.” Pansy said amusedly, “They’re trying to wager on who’s going to die first.”

Alice smirked, “If anyone’s going to die then it’s their own damn fault.” He said honestly, “I’m making sure to prepare myself.”

“He’s trying to cram three years and three classes worth of information in the span of a month.” Draco drawled, looking amused.

“Detention helps.” He shrugged, “Severus doesn’t want me to die either.”

“They say the first task is going to be crafty.” Blaise told him, “You’re going to need to think on your feet.”

“That tells me nothing.” Alice frowned, “All of those tasks are going to require me to think on my feet. Could it be something like fighting dragons?”

“Of course you want to fight dragons.” Draco smacked his shoulder. “You’re just dying to impress me.”

“Yes, because my life is about impressing you.” Alice said sarcastically, “That’s why I saved you from a Hippogriff, to make you notice me. Not because you did anything stupid.”

Pansy smirked coyly at something only she knew, which was starting to annoy Alice. Girls and their coy smirks were foreboding. Even Draco decided not to question her motive, or notice. The five of them carried on seamlessly up until Weasley came in, without Harry at his side. Alice caught him sneering at their table before finding his own housemates.

“Potty must be coming in soon.” Pansy’s nose wrinkled.

Alice shrugged cooly, “They’re not really on speaking terms right now.” He said easily, gesturing to the redhead. “Weasley’s angry.”

That seemed to make the whole table laugh, the only one not joining them was Alice.

“Of course Weaselby’s angry!” Draco said loudly, “I hate to think how the tournament would actually go if _he_ was chosen.”

“The only way he’d actually get his blood-traitor family any bit of glory.” Theodore chimed in.

“Or _money_.”

Alice looked over to where Ron was sitting, watching his ears turn red as he stewed in anger.

“Let’s face it,” Theodore grinned, “He’s only been riding on Potter’s coattails since the first year.”

That seemed to do it, and Wealsey slammed his hands onto the table he was at, startling Finnegan and Thomas. “SOD OFF!” He shouted.

Alice glanced over to the corner, seeing Moody and Hagrid watching the exchange. It must have been the reason why he wasn’t pulling out his wand.

Draco waved mockingly, trying to egg him on. “Having fun living in Potter’s shadow?”

Alice watched on, catching Weasley flinch and get redder at the comment. He seemed to have a real offense to the fact that he was second best. It clicked perfectly, why he was so angry at Potter. “He’s jealous that he’s not as good.” Alice pointed out factually. “It’s a bruise to his own crippled ego.”

Finnegan had to get up instantly to hold Weasley back as he tried to attack Alice, the teachers finally moving in to break it up. Moody cast Alice an amused smirk while Hagrid was trying to placate Wealsey, leading him out the pub.

“Wow, you really got him with that.” Blaise said, impressed.

Alice shrugged slightly and let it go, “Just an observation.”

The observation was still on his mind even after he made it back to Hogwarts. The Gryffindors seemed to know what had transpired, and upon dinner time there was a suspicious looking box on the Slytherin table, addressed to Alice. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table just in time to notice the Weasley twins look away just as fast, but tense in anticipation, as if they were waiting for something.

Draco came over just as Alice was tearing off his name. “What’s that about?” He questioned.

The boy thought for a moment, looking along his table. “Hey Vincent.” He called out to the other boy, “Some chick left this for you.” He tossed the box at the boy, his eyes alight with the assumption that a girl had offered him a present. It was sad to do and he almost regretted doing it, but there was no way in hell that he would allow the twins to get the better of him.

Draco watched curiously as the boy tore off the bow and open the box just to have a potion explode into his face, leaving his skin covered in pus and boils and dying it a horrible shade of puce.

There was an eruption of laughter from those who had witnessed it, Alice looking back over at the table and seeing the twins visibly upset that their prank didn’t go to the intended person, catching the boy’s eyes as they pointed two fingers from their eyes to his. It was a universal gesture that he was on their shit list. He only smiled in return and shrugged.

* * *

_Does Weasley have an inferiority complex?_

_“Seamus told me what your lot said at The Three Broomsticks. Really, Alice, are you stooping that low?”_

_I only pointed out my observations, it was my friends who decided to roll with it. Also, tell your twin friends that they can’t really prank someone who reads people._

_“Nothing I say won’t change their mind, they will come at you in full force. You really insulted their brother.”_

_Again, I was making an observation. It’s his fault that he took it so personally. He’s jealous of you, Potter. That’s why he’s angry._

_“Jealous of me? I really don’t see why he should be. I didn’t even put my name in!”_

_He thinks you did. What’s been going on so much that makes him jealous of you? Forgive me, but I’m missing out on two years. What did you do, kill a dragon?_

_“I really don't want to get into it. My first two years here were really... Let’s just say that wild shite happened.”_

_You killed a dragon._

_“Close.”_

_I WAS ONLY JOKING._

_“Basilisk.”_

_Jesus Christ Harry Potter. You killed a fucking Basilisk?_

_“You don’t sound anywhere close to Snape right now, congratulations.”_

_How can you change the subject? What happened in your second year, did you kill a man?_

_“Well….”_

_Potter!_

_“First year I killed a man possessed by Voldemort, SECOND year I killed a Basilisk.”_

_Your life is like a novel, Harry. No wonder you hate the attention._

_“Thank you for understanding. It doesn’t make up for you being an arsehole to Ron.”_

_I’ll send my apologies with the next prank his brothers give me._

* * *

The first task was a secret until the four of them were ushered to the Quidditch pitch. Instead of the pitch, it was a stadium with a raised platform that held a clearing in the centre while giant boulders were littered throughout the pitch.

Duelling platform.

Alice was shaking his arms, trying to limber himself up. Their first task would be a duel, and no doubt it was going to include every spell that a seventh year knew. He was pleased with himself for studying so hard, running off the list of his spells quickly in his own mind. He looked to the left of him and saw Harry looking determined. Alice wondered if Harry took his advice on studying, only to shrug it off. This would turn out perfectly in his favor, as this was what he was best at.

Bagman was grinning as he approached the four of them. Fluer and Krum didn’t even look phased at the task, neither did Alice or Harry. It seemed to make him grin wider. “Great, so you all are aware of your first task.” He gestured to the platform behind him. “It will be a duel. Two players against two players, and the winning player from both teams will duel each other for first place, while the two left over will duel each other for third.” He clapped his hands together, “There are some rules, before you all go hex each other willy-nilly. First off, there will be no unforgivables! That’s just an obvious rule, but I still have to point it out just in case.” He smiled, “Secondly, you are to stay within the platform. Once you’re out of bounds you will be disqualified. Third, you will duel your opponent until either of you lose your wands. Whoever loses their wand first is the loser.”

Bagman brought out a small bag. “In here are your names. I will shake this bag and whoever I draw first will be the first to go. Good luck to all of you.” He shook the bag and put his hand inside, pulling out a slip of paper. “The first duel is - Blackwood against--” He dipped his hand a second time, pulling out another. “Krum.”

Alice looked over at Krum, who had a stony serious expression about him. Durmstrang, that meant they knew dark spells. He grinned to himself, sizing up his opponent. He was fairly bulky, but he was a seeker. However, being quick and dexterous on a broom didn’t always equal to on your feet.

The two boys stepped out on the pitch, looking up to notice the students all around them in lowered bleachers. The Durmstrang students were cheering for their leader while the Slytherins were loudly singing a song for Blackwood. From the sound of it, it was Draco’s doing.

_“Glory. Glory._

_Blackwood will win Slytherin glory._

_Hail. Hail. Hail._

_Our children will tell the tale!”_

Alice smiled over at his housemates before taking position, turning his eyes on Krum. He was thinking fast, the very obvious spell would be an Expellarimus, but it was too foolish to start with that. He had to be prepared if Krum went to that first and foremost.

Bagman’s voice was amplified now, coming from a box higher up. “Ready your wands.” He instructed the two of them, “Three, two, one, GO!”

“ _Expulso_!” Krum went first before Alice could even open his mouth, and Alice only had a split second to resact, darting back from his spot before the spell hit his feet, he yelped, being flung back halfway across the pitch. He landed uncomfortably on his arse, realizing quickly that this wasn’t going to be easy. Krum was coming at him, throwing his wand forward as another spell was cast, and Alice only had a moment to block it before he was hit. He quickly got up on his feet, moving away from Krum and keeping his eyes on the boundaries, realizing quickly what the other was doing. He was advancing aggressively for a reason, making sure to get Alice as close to the edge as possible.

Alice grit his teeth, throwing out his wand, “ _Impedimenta_!”

Krum didn’t get away in time, his movements slowing down enough that Alice could avoid his slowly said hex, the boy weaving along the course to try to get back to the center. There were obstacles littered throughout the platform in the form of rocks, and Alice had chosen one to hide behind, needing to figure out his strategy. So far Krum was on the offensive and he was going to go at him until either Alice relented or got disqualified. He had to--

“ _Reducto_!”

The rock he was hiding behind was blasted into dust, and Alice was launched forward, hurrying to get distance between the two of them.

Overhead the Slytherins were gripped in anticipation, Alice’s closest friends in the very front, gripping the railing. Blaise could clearly see that Alice wasn’t attacking at all, trying to keep away from Krum as he advanced. “Why isn’t he throwing any spells?”

“It sounds like Krum isn’t allowing him any time to do it.” Theodore told him.

Draco was gripping the railing a little too tightly for his liking. “He keeps trying to blast Alice out of the ring.”

Daphne and Pansy were mumbling to each other while Millicent watched on, the realization of Alice’s movements were dawning on her. “He’s waiting for Krum to tire out.”

Everyone looked right at her. The girl didn’t really notice, pointing at the duel. “Krum is going to exhaust himself and give Alice a good door to fight back. He’s biding his time.”

It was just as Milicent said, Alice was grinning all the while dodging Krum’s blasting spells, his skin cut by debris with blood and sweat mingling together. The Durmstrang student was getting extremely frustrated, having blasted all the rocks into pieces strewn all over the platform. Alice finally began to start seeing his chance.

“ _Flipendo!_ ” Alice shot his wand forward at once, his spell actively knocking back Krum. He began to advance, not allowing the other boy to get a word in. He cast all the offensive curses he knew, treating Krum like a test-dummy that hit its target every time. Again and again Alice threw jinx after jinx, hex, curse, anything he could think of. His heart was pounding in his ears and he could barely hear Slytherin’s cheering, finally catching Krum off guard he finally shot forward, “ _Levicorpus_!”

Krum wasn’t aware of the spell that was used, his ankles were hooked by an unknown force and he was pulled into the air upside down. He scowled, keeping a firm hold on his wand. “ _Bombar-_ ”

“ _Expelliarmus_!” Alice was quicker than he was, finally knocking the wand out of Krum’s hand and catching it when it was propelled back into his hand.

Slytherin and select other students in different houses began to cheer, most of them having been caught by the entire battle. “Blackwood takes Krum’s wand! Blackwood wins the first match!” Bagman announced, sounding enthralled by the entire show. “Now end your spells and head back to the edge of the platform, next up is Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour.”

Alice brushed his wand past Krum, “ _Libracorpus_.” The other boy had been released, collapsing to the floor and muttering curses under his breath. He narrowed his eyes as he stood back up, following Alice out as Harry and Delacour made their way inside. “What vas that spell?” He questioned the boy. “I never heard ov that spell.”

Alice stood by to watch Harry duel, both of them looking intent to disarm the other. “My godfather taught it to me.” He said then. “It’s one of his.”

Krum nodded in understanding, watching the two of them fight. Harry was fully on the offensive. Gryffindor was cheering on for Harry as well as the ones that weren’t cheering for Alice, and from the sound of his spells, Harry had taken Alice’s suggestion about studying different spells.

“ _Expelliarmus!”_ Harry said it quickly after Delacour sent out a jet of water at her opponent, but it had worked, Harry had disarmed her.

“Potter takes Delacour’s wand, Potter advances to the winner’s round! My, my, this was faster than the last round. What will Blackwood and Potter have in store for us? This round will determine our first and second place winners!”

Harry was dripping wet from the water but it wasn’t bothering him, the boy standing inside the platform as Delacour and Alice switched places. Alice smiled coyly at him, “I hope you brought your A game, Potter. I’m not going to hold back.”

“I wouldn’t expect it, Blackwood.” Harry smirked his way, both of them getting into position.

“For the gold.” Alice breathed.

“Ready your wands!” Came the booming voice, “Three, two, one--GO!”

“ _Expelliarmus_!” Harry acted as quickly as he could, but Alice was expecting him to outright attack him with the spell, dodging it quickly. He grinned and threw his own wand his way.

“ _Confundo_!”

Harry uttered “ _Protego_ ” right before it hit, the shield he created having the spell ricochet off of him. “ _Tarantallegra_!” He threw the next spell at Alice, the Gryffindor section screaming as the spell hit dead on.

Alice grit his teeth and swept his wand at his dancing legs, “ _Finite_ !” He chuckled under his breath, pressing on. “Fine! _Incendio_!” He spun his wand and fire shot out of the tip, following the direction he was aiming. Flames shot out at Harry’s shoes, encircling where he stood. Harry cursed under his breath and stomped on the flames until they were gone.

“ _Locomotor Wibbly_!” Harry managed to hit Alice, grinning as the boy collapsed onto his knees. Alice ended up glaring at him, getting back up just as Harry uttered another, which he blocked quickly.

The action was intense on both sides, Hogwarts students up on their feet to watch the battle with bated breath. Everyone was transfixed, Weasley watching Harry and muttering for him to win while Draco gripped the railing painfully and whispering for Alice to beat him. It continued back and forth until both boys were crouched behind broken boulders, both of them breathing heavily and not daring to look behind them.

Alice’s hand found a loose stone next to his hand and an idea came into his head, grinning as he tossed the rock into the air before him, using his wand, “ _Oppugno_!”

Harry winced as a rock slammed into his hiding spot, peeking out for a moment to realize that more were coming. He ducked back down as the rocks continued to hurl themselves at his direction, the boy unaware that Alice was out of his own hiding spot and heading towards him.

“That’s it, Alice!” Theodore cried out.

“No, Harry! It’s a trap!” Granger screamed.

Their friends were muffled through the noise of all the students, Harry finally deciding to brave the rocks, casting “ _Protego_!” as quickly as possible to block the oncoming rocks. Alice only proceeded to advance as Harry backed away, using all the fallen rocks to his advantage. Eventually the rocks ceased attacking Harry, the Gryffindor standing at the edge of the platform.

Harry noticed his position quickly, baring his teeth and throwing his wand out at Alice, “ _Ex_ \--”

“ _Langlock_!”

“ _Protego_ !” Harry managed to block the spell he never heard of before it hit him, the boy thinking quickly before Alice advanced. He needed to go all out. “ _Fumos_ !” He shouted, a thick cloud of smoke pouring out of his wand to seperate them. Harry took a step forward immediately, “ _Ventus_ !” A jet of wind expelled itself from his wand, managing to blast the smoke into Alice’s face. Alice began to cough violently, accidentally inhaling the smoke as he doubled over. Harry grinned, throwing his wand out once more, “ _Immobulus_!”

It was too instant to block it, and Alice felt his entire body freezing still. He could hear wailing students cheering for Harry as the boy finally smirked triumphantly at Alice, pointing his wand at the Slytherin’s hand, “ _Expelliarmus_!”

The wand was shot out of his own hands, and Alice couldn’t do anything but shut his eyes, hearing the thunderous cheering from half of the Hogwarts students as Harry raised Alice’s wand over his head.

“With an intense battle for first place we finally have it folks, Potter wins! Which means that Blackwood has to settle for second place! Now, end your spells and make your way off the platform for our next two contenders!”

Harry swept his wand out at Alice, “ _Finite Incantatem_.” He said, still grinning. He tossed Alice his wand after that. “You’re quite good,” He said as they made their way off the platform.

Alice was at a loss. He had fallen for Harry’s trick, and it cost him his spot at first. He didn’t know what to feel at the moment. He had done so well--up until that moment. He gave Harry an opening, and it was something the boy used. He looked at Harry without any emotion, noticing him smiling. He looked so proud of himself for winning. Alice couldn’t really hate him for doing so, could he? No, he had allowed Harry an opening.

Harry did something then, something that Alice didn’t expect, the Gryffindor jutting out his hand towards the Slytherin, still smiling. “No hard feelings, right?”

Alice winced at that, looking down at the hand and thinking about Draco. He couldn’t do that, not here. Not when his best friend could see him.

“I’ll win the next one.” Alice promised him, foregoing the handshake just in time to see Draco hurrying over to the two of them.

Harry didn’t get a word in before Draco shoved past him to get to Alice.

* * *

The champions were given a vial at the end of the task, an ominous vial containing something unknown to open once they had gotten back to their common rooms. It was their hint for the next task. Later that night, Alice took it out in front of the rest of the Slytherins.

“What is it?” Pansy was afraid to touch it.

“A potion.” Alice picked up the vial. It was a tiny vial, and what was inside the vial couldn’t be more than a couple of teaspoons. “It’s possibly a potent one, since it’s such a small dose.” That was the best he knew about potions, that the smaller the vial, the bigger the effect. “Bagman told us to try to figure out what it might be. We’re told to drink it at midnight on New Year's eve.”

“What will it do?” Theodore questioned, his voice drowning out murmurs from the other students.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” Said a sixth year. “Who knows what it could be.”

“I doubt they’d give us something lethal.” Alice rolled his eyes, grasping the bottle. “They wouldn’t poison us on purpose.”

“This is the Triwizard Tournament, it has a habit of taking lives. I wouldn’t put it past them.” Said a prefect.

Alice began hearing everyone’s opinion on the matter, from the first years to the seventh, telling him that he should either pretend he took it or try to research the potion, he didn’t want to hear it anymore. Pretending he took the potion just to save himself would earn him nothing, this wasn’t about self-preservation, this was about winning.

He reached for the potion and grasped it out of Theodore’s hand, pocketing it. The stopper wouldn’t be removed until midnight on the last night of December.

* * *

Alice’s next detention started to become peculiar, after the first task the focus of his studies with Severus had changed drastically, the term’s current subject was the focus. He didn’t quite enjoy having to study up on different poisons and their effects, but given that he had lacked in his prior assignments on the subject, Severus seemed intent on having him know how to stop every poison imaginable. Alice realized this is where his relation to Severus had stopped on a dime, as while Sevrus was a master with the subject, Alice was on the same level as Neville Longbottom - without exploding cauldrons. By the time December rolled around Alice began to notice how gross his own hair became because of the potions fumes, grimacing to himself and deciding to wash his hair twice for the time being.

When the tenth rolled around there was an announcement, something that further explained to the students why they were required to bring dress robes. It was brought up during one of their classes, catching the attention of every single girl.

Alice rather the four horsemen of the apocalypse would be arriving upon Christmas instead of a bloody dance, the schoolwide announcement seemed to breathe life into the girls within Hogwarts, and he was lucky enough not to be attracted to any of them. However, being a champion provided him with a task that was worse than duelling Viktor Krum - find a date to the Yule Ball.

“I’m not used to this.” Alice admitted, sitting amongst his friends and feeling the multiple eyes that were on him. “Girls just became horribly terrifying.”

Pansy smirked from behind her hand, “No one knows, do they?”

“No one knows what?” Vincent questioned, looking at Pansy as if she knew everything. In some cases, Pansy did know everything, she seemed to work in that strange mysterious way that girls did to get as much information out of people as possible. She was the queen gossip of the school.

“No one knows that he doesn’t fancy girls.” Milicent was more straightforward, but her voice carried no inflection.

“Into blokes then?” Theodore questioned, everyone's eyes onto Alice.

The boy paused for a dreadfully long moment, “Well, I find their voices more tolerable and the way they look are more aesthetically pleasing to my eye, so - yes.” He vaguely remembered his second year at Ilvermorny and his hard crush on a seventh year Seeker in Thunderbird, various muggleborns didn’t understand that it was pretty much accepted and began teasing him for it. Here, however, him outright admitting it was met with a shrug from his housemates and a devious giggle from Pansy--something he still couldn’t understand. He was about to question her about it until she decided to expose her intentions.

“Have you considered asking _Draco_?” She asked it so abruptly, and Alice had regret drinking pumpkin juice as she did, breathing in sharply for the juice to go down the wrong pipe, making him cough violently as he tried to breathe.

“Draco?” His voice went up a couple of octaves as he almost shouted the other’s name.

“You don’t have to yell!” Came his friend’s rushed reply, finally joining the rest of them and sitting next to Alice. “What?”

Bliase snorted in amusement and Theodore grinned, Pansy smiling innocently as if she hadn’t just put anything in motion. “Oh nothing.”

Alice found it hard to look at his friend suddenly, the very implication to ask him to go to the Yule Ball running through his head and making him feel nervous. He never gave his friendship with him any more thought, and never did his friend give off veiled hints that he was the least bit interested.

His attentions were torn away when Pansy began whispering something to Daphne who in turn passed it along to another girl, one in Durmstrang robes. He didn’t like it when girls whispered to each other, it held various consequences he didn’t wish to be a part of.

“So.” Draco stole the buttered roll off of Alice’s plate, biting into it as a show of possession. He did that often, stealing Alice’s apples as if he was Draco’s personal servant. “Anyone ask you to the ball?”

Alice frowned at him and reached for another roll, “I’ve gotten offers, but I’m not interested.”

“Let me guess, they were all _girls_.”

Alice nodded, “I’m sure that might change in a few days. Word gets around quickly.”

“Just so you know, I’m going to have to approve of him.” Draco suddenly said, “Not just anyone can get that close to you.”

The comment fell along the lines of the last comment that they had gotten in a row about, how Draco felt that he had ownership of Alice’s entire being. The boy narrowed his eyes slightly, “Are we going back to this?” He questioned. “I’m allowed to fancy someone else.”

“Oh, I remember, you and your ‘you don’t own me’ triade. I’ve given it some thought, and I believe that if you begin to fancy someone, then they must at least be worthy of it.”

“So...you’re saying I’m allowed to date, but it must be on your terms.”

Blaise slapped a hand over his face, “Here we go.”

“Just so you know,” Draco smirked, “The bar is set _very_ high.”

Alice finally turned to him, quirking a brow and glancing across the great hall, spotting Harry having a conversation with Weasley. “How about this. I pick who I wish to go with, while you just suck it up and accept it?”

Draco looked offended, “You can’t just choose anyone! They have to meet up to our standards. That means they must be a well respected heir of worthy blood. I won’t be forced to make nice to a Mudblood for your sake.” He cringed at the idea.

Alice tilted his head over towards the Gryffindor table. “So...if I asked someone like ...Potter.”

Those around the two began to erupt with laughter while Draco looked completely aghast. “Absolutely not!”

“Well, Draco,” Alice said in a sickly sweet voice, “ _He’s a well respected heir of worthy blood_.”

“That doesn’t mean--”

Alice stood up and left before he could hear anything else, smiling to himself and making his way over towards the other end. Those who noticed him walking towards the Gryffindor table began muttering to each other and looking around concernedly, everyone absolutely confused as to why Alice would enter their territory.

“Oi! Potter.” Alice stopped right next to the table, smiling cooly and settling a hand on the edge. “I have a question.”

Weasley was angry at the sight of him, gritting his teeth and reaching for his wand. Granger looked properly confused, looking from Alice to Harry.

“Alice!” Draco’s voice cut through the mumbles, and the three of them looked back, noticing Blaise holding back Draco as he tried to fight against him.

Harry had a feeling something was happening, swallowing thickly and finally looking at the boy. “Er--yes?”

“Have a date for the Yule Ball?”

“Alice don’t you DARE!” Draco screamed.

Harry blinked, taken aback by the question. “Well...no, not really.”

The rest of the table were becoming concerned, the Weasley twins taking out their wands just in case something happened while Granger kept staring. Weasley, himself, was losing color drastically, realizing what was going to happen.

“Oh bloody hell, Harry, no,”

Alice had to hand it to Wealsey, he was quicker than he looked. “Wanna go with me?”

Dead silence. The whole table fell quiet, the only sounds that were heard were clattering of utensils onto wood and bated breaths.

Harry was suddenly on the spot, Alice staring at him, waiting for an answer. He looked around, all eyes were on him, especially Ron’s, the ginger shaking his head and mouthing ‘no’ again and again while Hermione cupped a hand to her mouth, her eyebrows raised into her bangs.

While true, he had been unlucky getting a date to the Yule Ball, he had been hesitant about asking the girl he liked. Word was that she was already going with Cedric Diggory, so that just about did in his chances at a date. Given the revelation months ago that some boys just dated boys, he still couldn’t comprehend it, but, well… him and Alice were getting along so far, right? The more he stared at him the more he finally realized the less Alice looked similar to his Potions Professor. Yes, the hair and his gait were similar, but the face wasn’t. The nose, the eyes, the weird smirk.

He didn’t know what possessed him to say yes.

“Uh...sure, I guess.”

At the Slytherin table, Pansy burst out into raucous laughter while the rest of the table cried out indignantly, followed quickly by the gasps of shock from Harry’s own house, how Weasley suddenly looked thunderstruck from what he just heard. He wondered briefly if this was a nightmare, while Granger was too speechless to say anything.

Alice smiled triumphantly, casually spinning on his heel to meet Draco’s eyes, shrugging at him lightly while his best friend stared at him as if Alice had just murdered his whole family.

“I know what you’re doing!” Draco shouted, pointing angrily at him, “This is just another one of your petty stunts! I’m not going to allow this, Alice!” He was yelling so loud that the Gryffindors could hear him. “This is going too far!”

Alice stopped in front of Draco, still smiling. “I may be petty, but I’ve also got a date to the ball.” He said lowly.

Draco sneered at him and left the great hall.

* * *

Whatever happened in the great hall just hours ago felt like a fever dream on Harry’s part. All of his friends were staring at him with honest bewilderment at his acceptance to go to the ball with Alice Blackwood, AKA, Snape’s Godson. They reacted as if Harry had said yes to Professor Snape asking him to the ball himself, though he could hardly see the similarities. Yes, they were both conniving and cruel people, and yes, they were both skilled beyond measure, but Blackwood wasn’t Snape. For one, Snape couldn’t stand the sight of him, and he and Alice had been speaking in secret for _months_.

Harry honestly thought the boy was interesting. He was smart and crafty, he read people (a little too well) and he handled himself with grace. Except for the fact that he was hated by his friends, and was a right arse to his two closest friends, he saw something inside of Alice that made him think that the boy really wasn’t what people thought he was. True, he was best mates with Malfoy, and Malfoy was the biggest arsehole in the entire school, but Alice had influence on him. For a Slytherin, he wasn’t all that nasty.

But now he was going to the Yule Ball with a _boy_. He only realized it after returning to the common room, that he had said yes to a boy’s invite. Did that make him gay? He had no fucking idea if that made him gay or not. He didn’t even know if he liked boys that way. Sure, perhaps they were easier to understand and get along with than girls, and while he liked Hermione she was a tad too bossy and annoying at times, but that didn’t really mean he was gay. Or did it? He never gave this any thought, and he finally realized the hole he dug himself into.

Harry’s hands fell over his face and he groaned, if anything was going to give him unneeded attention than _this_ was. Why did he say yes? What possessed him at that very moment to say yes? Did he have time to say no? Was this binding or could he back out? Ron was so shocked, he couldn’t get any words out before giving him some sort of strange look. Oh Merlin, was his best friend judging him? Is that why he couldn’t look him in the eyes? Even Ginny, Ginny just stared at him and ran away in tears.

This was a bad idea.

Harry scrambled to his feet and hurried up to the boys’ dorm, ignoring questions from his friends as he got into the bed and pulled out the journal. He found his pen quickly, flipping to the next blank page.

_“Is it possible for me to change my mind?”_

_Having second thoughts?_

_“I think I’ve made a mistake.”_

_Thank you for saying yes, the look on Draco’s face was priceless. He’s still not speaking to me._

_“Wait.”_

_“Did you do this to get back at Malfoy?”_

_Pretty much. He told me in a few kind words that if I were to date anyone than they would have to ‘meet his requirements’. It was basically his way of trying to control who I can or can not date._

_“So instead you come over to me and put me under the spotlight.”_

_I’m making a point to my friend, that he can’t control who I ‘fancy’._

_“...”_

_“You...fancy me?”_

_Oh, of course not! Not that you’re not fanciable, I mean._

_You’re good looking enough, really, you’re quite handsome, but I asked you because I was being petty._

_“So this whole thing was just an act. I really don’t know how to feel about this.”_

_I apologize if I offended you, but please, Harry, imagine what fun this could be. Draco knows I’m doing this to get back at him, now imagine if we attended the ball together._

_“You want me to play along?”_

_I’ll owe you a favor if you want it, I just don’t want to stop being petty right now._

_“He’s right though, you’re very petty. I’m not sure about this…”_

_Honestly, Harry, if you have anyone else you wish to take to the Yule Ball, feel free to tell me. I’ve been getting girls asking me ever since this was announced. I’ll be happy to end this charade if you like._

_“If you’re getting requests left and right then why aren’t you going with one of them?”_

_I would think it’s obvious, Harry._

_“What?”_

_I don’t like girls._

_“...oh.”_

_“OH.”_

_It’s not a secret. I just don’t like their voices or their shape. They’re often quite emotional and dramatic. I prefer a bloke. They’re more pleasing to the eye and they don’t sound like harpies._

_“Well, that explains why you asked me and not Hermione.”_

_If I asked Granger not only would Draco disown me, Granger would hex my bollocks off for even trying. I’m trying to get under his skin, not outright offend him._

_“Well...it sounds quite fun. To annoy Malfoy like that. But I still don’t know about this.”_

_If you have someone else in mind, just tell me now and I’ll gladly try to piss Draco off in another way._

_“Actually. I… I don’t really have anyone. Well, I did, but she’s going with Cedric Diggory.”_

_“If you promise not to try and snog me or touch me funny then I’ll gladly help you be petty.”_

_Don’t worry, Harry, you’re only a pawn in my ultimate game of chess._

Harry didn’t know why that made his spine quiver a little, shutting the journal quickly. If all of this was to get back at Malfoy, then he didn’t have any problems going on a date with another bloke.

It’s not like anything’s going to happen, right?

* * *

Everyone in Slytherin understood exactly what Alice had done and why, after Pansy had a word with Tracey Nettlebed, who spread rumors like they were on fire. Draco knew as well, and honestly, he wasn’t happy at all. He took to giving Alice the silent treatment, in which Alice referred to him as acting like an entitled brat who didn’t get his way. The demand was clear in Draco’s eyes. _Call off the date with Potter or you’ll regret it._

Draco honestly didn’t know how petty Alice could be. Hell, he entered the Triwizard Tournament to prove a point to his dead father. He had ample patience for this type of thing, meeting every one of Draco’s glares with a smile and a small wave.

Severus didn’t voice his objections to Alice’s ‘choices’, but it was clear from his own facial features that he wasn’t happy about Alice’s decision either. He proceeded to apply their potions training during detention, having him identify various poisonous plants and how to treat them. The nightly training poured into the weekly lessons, in which they continued their work. The end of the term had approached too quickly for Alice’s liking.

They were to test on what they learned, each question covering something Alice had done the month prior, it was the first time he ever scored so well on a test in his Godfather’s class. The only thing he had gotten wrong was the extra credit question, which, according to Severus, most of the students had gotten wrong.

The next day Alice received his test, checking the back of it for the last question: _What can cure most poisons without the need of an antidote?_ In which Alice snarkily replied: “A visit to Saint Mungos.”

Scribbled down was a snappy reply: “ _I should deduct points for your sense of humor in a dire situation. No, you idiot, a bezoar._ _Remember this!_ ”

Alice thought about it, bezoar. A stone found in a goat’s stomach.

Shrugging lightly, he put the test in his bag and moved on. 

* * *

Harry was in the middle of a crisis, and it was all Alice’s fault.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of the implications of him going out with another _boy_ had, although, yes he was still concerned about what others were thinking, Harry Potter the pouf - as his Uncle Vernon would call them. Actually, if his Uncle Vernon knew that he was going to the ball with another boy the man would just possibly kick him out and disown him right then and there. He knew what people thought about homosexuality - but right now, he was getting mixed signals and other unnerving details. Mixed signals being that most of the students weren’t all that _judgemental_ on his choice, as if it was normal. Upon asking Ron, he learned that being gay in the wizarding world was something that was commonly accepted - even one of his uncles was that way. Harry remembered what Alice said about it, and realized that it must be true. The weird looks had attributed to the fact that he said yes to a _Slytherin_.

For the unnerving details, however, it seemed that this whole plan to get on Malfoy’s bad side was sending him into a confusing ordeal where he was starting to notice Alice Blackwood a little more than he should be. Every move, breath, emotion the other boy was conveying, he was suddenly too aware of it. His defense class before the end of term was...eventful. Harry was so unfocused on his own work Moody began to smack his cane onto his desk. Alice was seated across from him, and it was strange how he never noticed how long his fingers were. It was downright strange to think about, but they were just _there_. Finely manicured nails on slender, pale hands that often sat under Alice’s chin during lectures. Harry wondered if they were soft or calloused. Alice’s blue eyes were unfocused but at the same time the boy noticed more things than anyone else, staring out boredly. His hair, depending on days, looked either slightly more similar to Snape’s greasy strands or they were completely clean. His hair often covered his eyes as the other looked down to take notes. Then the nose, why was it evenly sculpted and not so crooked? He actually looked decent - if Severus Snape was a handsome boy in his teens.

That was another thought he was determined not to cross, the thought of his Potions Professor actually - ew.

After spending that hour in Defense class, he wondered if he was obsessed. Now that they were a few days away from the ball he often tried to get a glimpse of Alice in the great hall, noticing that Malfoy was still turning his nose up at Alice as the boy grinned from ear to ear, pretending like Malfoy wasn’t angry with his life choices. The image made Harry smile slightly, seeing how Alice was actually having fun with this well played out plot against his best friend.

“Are you okay mate?” Came Ron’s worried voice from beside him. “You’ve been acting off.” His friend wasn’t offended by Harry’s choice to the ball after what Harry had told him, thinking that it was a funny prank not even his brothers could come up with. Though, he was worried when he kept catching Harry looking over the Slytherin’s way.

“I’m alright.” Harry finally looked away, returning to his meal and chewing thoughtfully on some peas. Hermione was sitting across from him, rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, I still cannot believe you’re going through with this.” She tutted, against the idea since Harry’s simple explanation. “Is getting back at Malfoy so important that you wish to waste your chance at having fun at the Yule Ball?”

“We still don’t know who _you’re_ going with,” said Ron suspiciously.

“We both know that you have _no one_ to go with.” Hermione snapped in return, glaring at the ginger. “Harry shouldn’t be wasting his time going with someone that’s only using him for ulterior motives!”

“Aside from other girls who would wish to go out with the Boy Who Lived.” Ron commented snidely, “Blackwood’s only saving grace is that he’s treating Harry like an actual person instead of a title.”

“I can’t believe you’re defending a Slytherin!” Hermione said shrilly, “Blackwood is Professor Snape’s godson, and he’s also Harry’s rival at the Triwizard Tournament! How can you not be sure he’s not luring Harry into a trap?”

Harry frowned, “I’m right here, you know.”

Hermione went red, “I’m concerned for your safety! He might just be planning to do something cruel and heartless, either to get you out of the Tournament or just because you’re you.”

“We’ve been corresponding for months, Hermione, he’s been honest with me so far.”

“That’s another thing!” She narrowed her eyes, “You shouldn’t be using that journal to keep in contact with him. He could be using you, he could be lying about everything. He could be showing everything you say to Malfoy while they laugh at your expense.”

“Do you really think I don’t know how to judge a person?” Harry snapped, “Do you assume that I’m blind and cannot notice whether a person is trustworthy? I notice things about Alice, Hermione, there’s a lot of things that sets him off differently than everyone else.”

“Mione’s got a point, Harry.” Ron muttered, “He’s a filthy Slytherin. Blackwood is a pureblood surname, my father told me! They’re a prominent family in America. He’s just an American Malfoy, with just as much blood prejudice.”

Harry groaned in frustration, “If he’s pureblood he doesn’t act like it.” He said finally, “He doesn’t strut around like he owns everything, he gets offended when people try to control him. That’s exactly why I’m in this, because Malfoy thinks he has a claim on Alice.”

“I’m never going to get used to this.” Ron moaned, “You keep calling him _Alice_.”

“He calls me Harry.” Came the fast reply.

“Not in _public_.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Harry said finally, “Look, whether or not Alice is deceiving me, I think I’m prepared for it. Even though I highly doubt it, I will be prepared for whatever happens.”

* * *

Being prepared for the Yule Ball wasn’t as nerve-wracking as going to it. As a Champion, there were rules to follow as to not make your school look bad. You were to dance in a certain way, almost perfectly, and not try to embarrass yourself or dress less than classy. Alice got an ear full of what not to do from Severus, who was still annoyed that Harry Potter was his date. He had to congratulate his godfather, because he held in his contempt over the decision for quite a while.

Apparently, two Champions attending the dance as each other’s dates was a unique circumstance that hadn’t happened before. Alice realized that now he and Harry were going to be stared at quite a bit, and were probably going to be scrutinized over it as well.

He was staring at himself in the mirror next to his bed, going over his appearance. His hair was tied back with a black ribbon and it was triple-washed that day to get rid of the potions fumes, it felt softer than a baby’s bum at this point. He looked regal in his black robes, as if he was an actual pureblooded Blackwood heir, the thought making him cringe just slightly. He took a breath and turned away, noticing Draco standing a few feet away, just glaring at him.

He looked handsome as well in his own dress robes, his hair wasn’t slicked back for once, which Alice wanted to applaud on his decision to not turn to the hair gel for such an important night. He looked better with it loose, more like himself than his father. Alice suddenly realized that he had been staring at him for a moment too long and tore his eyes away. “You look better.” He finally bit out.

Draco scrunched his nose, “Better? Meaning I didn’t look good before?”

“Too much hair gel will start to bleed into your scalp and make your brain slippery.” Alice saved himself with the quick rebuttal, smirking slightly through pink cheeks.

“Too much grease in your hair will make you look like you washed it in the kitchens.” He sneered.

Alice decided to ignore the comment, grinning. “You’re talking to me again.” He chided.

Draco looked away quickly, “Me insulting you doesn’t exactly mean we’re on speaking terms, Blackwood.”

“Yes, but you’re actually putting an effort to use _words_ in my presence.” Alice smiled cheekily, walking over to him. “You see, insults will only lead to witty comments, and it will slowly snowball into _polite conversation_ and suddenly--” He hooked a finger under his chin, “--we’ll be back to where we were before.” He smirked then.

Draco became flushed and instantly shoved Alice back, the reaction registering in Alice’s brain but he was too full of himself to actually analyze why his friend had suddenly done that. He only laughed and turned away, strutting into the common room. “Just face it, Draco, you can’t handle being away from me.”

“With all that hot air in your head, I’m shocked that the castle isn’t floating away.” Draco sniped, still red. “I wonder what Potter will say when he realizes what an--”

“Interesting person I am?” Alice looked back, chuckling.

“Infuriating, more like.” He glared back at him, but the heat wasn’t behind it. “You’re a headache, Blackwood. You always feel the need to prove something, whether it’s this Tournament or teaching me a lesson - a lesson that I don’t deserve.”

“You’re just mad that you’re not getting your way.” Alice lead him out the common room, “You rather I bow down to your whims at every moment and heed your word like it’s the word of God.”

“It’s because I know what’s best for you, Alice.” Draco tried not to shout, “When this night is over and Potty realizes the mistake he made, I’ll be the one laughing.”

Alice rolled his eyes, dropping the subject after that as they made their way to the entrance hall. There Draco met with Astoria, his own date, and Alice moved away from the two and looked around for his own.

What he saw first was Granger, at the top of the staircase looking completely different than what she usually looked like. Her hair was tamed and in manageable ringlets pinned up while her smile looked less crooked than before. He remembered the hex onto her teeth, wondering if she used Pomfrey to straighten them more than she needed. Her dress was equally beautiful, a soft blue that was tiered. The further she stepped down the more he realized that Weasley and Harry were at the foot of the stairs, watching her with shock.

Alice smirked slightly, stepping over out into the courtyard to the rose bushes to cut one of them loose, twirling the stem in his fingers, careful not to prick himself. He nodded to himself and stepped back inside, finding Harry, however moving towards Granger. She stilled at the sight of him, frowning. Even Weasley was hesitant.

“Even the stars in the sky cannot deny that a celestial beauty resides in Hogwarts.” Alice said smoothly, handing her the rose. “Have a wonderful night, Granger.”

The girl looked taken aback by his comment, and so did Weasley, both of them looking at him bewilderedly. “T-thank you, Blackwood.” Granger said with pink cheeks. She proceeded to go to her date, Viktor Krum.

“Blimey.” Weasley muttered, watching Granger, but Harry plainly couldn’t think of any words, staring at Alice as if he was a different person entirely.

“Just who are you and what happened to Blackwood?” Weasley asked before Harry could speak.

“What?” Alice smirked, “One cannot be friendly during a ball? I don’t see our house colors, do you?”

Harry swallowed thickly, immediately looking around. No, no one was wearing their house colors. Alice was making a point, the night was about fun, not competition. In the corner, Astoria seemed flabbergasted at the sight of Hermione, but Malfoy kept staring past her at the three of them.

“He keeps staring at you.” Harry finally said, looking at Alice.

“I’m used to it.” The boy didn’t stop smirking, leaning in to Harry and pulling on a grin, “As long as he watches, I plan on making him regret it.” He winked, finally taking his hand. “So, which one of us leads during the dance?”

Harry went red, “Uh--you mean--we--is there--is there a rule? Uh would that mean that I’m the girl?”

Alice laughed, and suddenly Harry realized that he liked that laugh. Merlin, he wasn’t going to survive tonight.

“I would suggest we trade off, or perhaps the better dancer would lead.” He smiled, “How good are you?”

“Well...not as good as I--” Harry felt embarrassed admitting this, “I didn’t really--”

Then Padma came down the stairs, and Ron looked suddenly relieved, moving to scoop her up before she could ask about Harry and Alice. Harry looked as relieved as Ron, as he didn’t wish for his best mate to see him acting so...doofy.

“Well, if that’s true, then allow me to lead the first few dances.” Alice finally leaned back, but he rested his hand on Harry’s shoulder, “Also, whoever leads doesn’t automatically mean that he’s the ‘guy’.”

Harry wasn’t feeling any better, he wasn’t even used to this kind of thing. He still felt that it was strange, that at least one person was going to comment rudely on it, but so far, no one seemed to care. He and Alice weren’t even the only gay couple there. Parvati and Lavender were a couple and there were a couple consisting of a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw. That was only in his year!

No, wait. They weren't a gay couple. Harry had to remind himself that. He was here as a friend, not as anything else.

When it was time for them to enter Harry felt nervous, trying not to notice all the people staring at him. He looked at Alice and wondered instantly why he wasn’t nervous. But this was Alice Blackwood, he never wore his emotions visibly and put on airs of the confident Slytherin. Alice’s back was straight as he led Harry in, his eyes only keeping forward as they made their way to the tables. Alice was literally radiating his pureblood energy, every move of his trained and graceful and showing no room for error. Harry felt jumpy and erratic, a right mess that could crumble into a pile of embarrassment if he said or did anything wrong.

Alice, of course, picked up on his nerves, glancing at him and chuckling. “No one’s going to come over and do anything stupid, Harry.” He said in a whisper.

“If anyone’s going to do anything stupid then it’s probably going to be me.” Harry admitted softly, frowning.

“You’re worrying about this too much.” Alice reached over to take his hand suddenly, moving it to the right fork. “This one’s the one you want.”

Harry held back a groan, “See? Even you know the right utensils for eating.”

“I only know them from my time at Malfoy Manor.” Alice admitted softly, smiling slightly. “I grew up middle-class just like every other No-Maj.”

Harry turned to look at him, thinking hard. No-Maj, what did that mean? Was that an American term? Middle-class? It meant Alice grew up similar to Harry. How was that possible when he was a pureblood? A line of questions filled his mind but before he could even ask them their dinners appeared and Alice began eating. He didn’t even seem like he grew up like everyone else. What the hell was Alice hiding?

He couldn’t even taste what he was eating, still trying to process the bit of information that Alice had given him. So far, they were friends, but Alice hadn’t yet to spill anything personal to him. Alice, on the other hand, knew enough about Harry. It sounded like a one-sided agreement they had, wherein Alice learned all that he could about Harry and not spilled any information about himself.

By the time he resurfaced Alice’s hand was in his face, snapping his fingers and trying to capture his attention. It was time to dance. Harry’s nervousness slammed into him again, mentally dropping his issues he had with the Slytherin and realizing the pressure of the moment. Alice looked so cool under pressure, like nothing was bothering him, when everything was bothering Harry. It was a good thing that he decided to lead, lest Harry ruin the entire Yule Ball.

Dancing with Alice wasn’t as bad as he imagined it would be, they kept the pace and never fell out of step, and Harry often caught his eyes to witness glimmers of amusement within those blue eyes. He was having fun. Harry had to force himself to let go of his anxieties and thoughts to get somewhere in the vicinity of ‘having fun’. Before he knew it, however, the dance had ended, and no one was looking at him wrong. He’d survived it.

“Would you like some punch?” Alice asked as soon as they stopped, grinning and glancing a certain direction. Harry followed his eyes and noticed Malfoy, still watching them with that scowl. Alice looked purely entertained by the fact that Malfoy hated that Alice having a good time with _Harry Potter_.

Harry grinned slightly and couldn’t help but find it funny, nodding. “Yeah, I’ll take some.” He said finally, looking around to search for his friends.

Right when Alice left his side that Malfoy decided to storm over to him, staring him down.

“You’re in on this, aren’t you?” He hissed out, standing close to him. “There’s no other way that you would have agreed to this entire charade.”

Harry blinked, quickly getting defensive, “Hey none of this was my idea, Malfoy. He caught me unawares and I tried to back out and so has he, but we’ve decided to do this anyway.”

“When have you spoken with Alice?” Malfoy looked suspicious, trying to think of when he had left Alice alone.

“Uh--” Harry glared at him slightly, “None of your business. When he finally told me what he was doing to you I assumed the worst, but eventually I relented. You obviously think that you own the guy--”

“My relationship with Alice isn’t the subject here. It’s _you_ enabling my friend into his horrible habits. I want you to stop whatever this is,” He gestured towards Harry and Alice in the distance.

Harry watched Malofy and how angry he looked and suddenly it clicked. He broke out into a grin then, moving to cover up a sudden laugh. “You’re jealous.”

Malofy looked enraged, “What did you--”

“Look!” Harry gestured behind him, “This doesn’t really involve me, does it? You’re just--oh Merlin, you’re really jealous.” He looked astounded at his own revelation. “If you wanted Alice to go to the Yule Ball with you why didn’t you just ask him?”

Malfoy was red at this point, jabbing a finger to Harry’s chest, “You’re _not_ allowed to use his name!” He blatantly ignored Harry’s question, but he was losing time to threaten his arch rival out of this silly game. “Of all the people he has to be petty with, it has to be _you_.” He grit his teeth in frustration, leaving just as Alice turned their way.

Harry was still laughing, still in utter disbelief. “Malfoy--oh Ron’s going to have kittens.” He chuckled to himself.

“How can Weasley have kittens?” Alice questioned, confused. Harry smirked, remembering just how American the Slytherin was.

“It’s an expression.” Harry clarified, taking his punch. “What took you so long?”

“I had a wild experience.” Alice looked slightly flushed when Harry fully looked at him. “I was pouring punch and suddenly your friends flanked me. Those twins. They had a little chat with me.”

Harry frowned, looking around for Fred and George. “What did they do?”

Alice grinned, “They threatened me, of course. If I did anything against you in any slightest way, I would, quote, ‘be waking up to the horrible outcome of my poor decisions.’”

Harry managed to laugh at that, “They have this way of getting into places they’re not allowed inside, just to warn you.”

“I’ll remember that.” He took a sip of his own punch, “So what did Draco tell you?”

“What?”

“Your face doesn’t really hide any secrets.” Alice pointed out, scanning his expression. “Draco thought to threaten you, did he?”

Harry smiled, “Not so much threaten me, he just warned me against enabling your bad habits.”

Alice looked amused, because ‘bad habits’ meant him as a whole. “Harry, I am a bad habit.” He grinned proudly, “I’ve been known to influence the worst in people.”

Somehow that was hard to believe, “For a Slytherin you’re the most good-natured one in the bunch, I really don’t see you influencing anyone in a negative way.”

“But I _am_ a Slytherin.” Alice reminded him.

Harry held his eyes for a while, “You could easily be a Gryffindor, given how foolhardy and brave you are.” The comment earned Harry a shove, Alice glaring at him with an amused spark in his eyes.

“Now that’s just slander.”

* * *

The night was turning out to be better than he thought it would be. Honestly, Alice assumed that he and Harry would have nothing to talk about, but three hours later time flew quicker than normal. It was the last hour of the Yule Ball and some students snuck outside to snog behind the rose bushes, while more daring students were trying to get past third base somewhere else in the castle. He swore he spotted a seventh year spiking the punch just an hour before, which explained why everyone had low inhibitions at that moment. Alice, however, wondered if he wasn’t capable of getting drunk, considering the amount of punch he had, Harry, however, was asleep at a table while there was still a good amount of party to enjoy. Alice didn’t feel that well leaving his date so vulnerable, deciding to just sit with him and watch the dance in its last hour.

Someone tapped his shoulder and Alice turned around, seeing Astoria standing right behind him. She looked bothered, and slightly sad in her pretty silk dress.

“Yes?” Alice turned to her, smiling.

“Can you end it now?” She questioned. “The whole night Draco has been out of sorts and it’s all because of you. He’s right outside, moping around the rose bushes and glaring at the couples. Please, for the love of Circe, make up with him.”

Alice took in her exhaustion over the night, realizing that she didn’t have a good time on account of himself and his decision. He frowned sympathetically, “If you promise to look after Potter for me, if you could, help him to Gryffindor tower.”

Astoria looked hesitant, looking over at the sleeping Champion and smiling slightly, “He’ll be better company.” She said then.

Alice stood up, smiling reassuringly and putting a consoling hand on her arm. “I apologize for ruining your night.”

He made his way out of the great hall, passing his godfather out at the gardens as he worked to ruin student’s nights. Severus paid him no mind, gesturing to the far bench. It was the loneliest spot in the garden and Draco looked dishevelled, his tie undone slightly and his hair unkempt as if he was raking his hands through it for hours.

“So you’ve finally come back. What, Potter’s bored with you?” He snapped, narrowing his eyes.

“He’s passed out, actually.” Alice told him, sitting next to his friend. “Had been for a good half-hour, all I had been doing was keeping an eye on his body. He’s a lightweight.”

Draco grimaced somewhat, settling his chin in his hands. “Are you here to apologize?”

Alice frowned, “Aren’t you the one who should be apologizing?”

“Not after you decided to sleep with the enemy!” He said loudly, “If anyone’s done something wrong, it was you.”

“Hold on, I wasn’t sleeping with anyone!” Alice’s eyebrows raised, “I don’t even fancy Potter, it was just a stunt.”

“Then explain the _flirting_. That’s all you two did all night.”

“You’ve been watching us the whole time? No wonder Astoria’s so annoyed.” Alice’s features went soft, “We weren’t flirting in the slightest, you idiot.”

Draco looked away, glowering at nothing in particular. Alice kept his eyes on Draco’s features, the tenseness in his shoulders and how annoyed he looked. Slowly it began to make sense, “Do you think...that I replaced you with him?”

That question seemed to hit too close, causing the blonde to wince. “Why not? Everyone else seems to prefer Potter over me.” He said it below a whisper.

Alice knew what he said, realizing why he said it. It sounded heartbreaking, actually. “Draco, it meant nothing. We only talked for so long because we shared opinions. Why would I replace you with him? I assumed we were, you know, _best mates_ \- or how they say it.”

Draco finally looked over at him, “I knew it started out as a petty stunt, but the more I watched it was like - you were invested in his every word, you looked--” He stopped after that, making a disgusted face at the thought before losing it.

Alice sighed, moving closer to him to hook an arm around Draco’s shoulders, “I don’t really see the need to drop you, I expect to be treated like a person and not your personal toy, however. This was my whole point.”

“If I apologize will you stop trying to punish me by playing nice with the people I despise the most?” Draco frowned at him, “I made you my friend for a reason.”

“You made me your friend because I didn’t know who Potter was.” Alice reminded him.

“That was about one of the many things that I appreciated about you.” He said honestly, “Going to him hurt more than you think it did, Alice.”

The boy frowned, deciding to remember that for the future. “I had no idea.” He leaned against Draco, feeling slightly wound down. “Alright, the next time I get angry with you, I won’t go to Potter.”

“Thank you.” Draco said.

“I’ll go to _Weasley_.” Alice added in with a wry smirk.

Draco elbowed him, “Not funny.” He was smiling, however. “You still don’t know where your loyalties lie, Blackwood.”

Alice snorted in amusement, “I thought I just made it clear, Draco. My loyalties lie with you.”

Either it was the way he said it or the words themselves, but it reverberated into Draco’s entire being. He nodded, satisfied to hear it. “Good.”

* * *

It was the eve of the new year and Alice had been pacing the common room for an hour, the potion vial in his hand while he thought over what it could be. The only thing that came to mind was death. Death, death, death. It was a foolish thought, but he couldn’t help it. The Tournament wasn’t a light one, it had casualties, death was a possibility. He had to take this on the specified time, not one minute before or after midnight. Sitting on the couch was Draco, watching him pace the room, feeling as anxious as Alice was.

“It’s not going to kill you.” He said.

“It very well could.” Alice replied.

“You’re worrying too much over it.”

“You’re not worried enough over it.”

Draco crossed his legs, leaning back. “Fine. If you’re afraid to take it, then just don’t take it. They won’t know.”

Alice finally sat down next to him, the vial grasped in his hands. “If I do that then it’s possibly forfeiting the task. I _have_ to take it.”

Draco quirked a brow, “If that’s your answer, then why are you anxious.”

“I don’t want to take it.” Alice moaned pitifully.

The blonde rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics. “Give me the bottle.” He laid out his palm before Alice, waiting patiently until Alice meekly handed it over. “If you’re hesitant to take it, and you possibly have to, then I have a solution.”

Alice checked his watch for the fifth time. It was five minutes until midnight. “What are you going to do, hold me down and force it into my mouth?”

“Mayhaps.”

Alice was growing more anxious, his heart beating faster than it should. “I have to do this, Draco. I have to win this tournament. I have to take that vial.”

Draco watched him steadily, “You never told me why you’re so passionate about this.”

“It’s...a petty reason.” Alice admitted shamefully, “It involves my deep resentment towards my father. You see, he never thought I was good enough, he assumed I’d never be chosen.” He felt embarrassed for admitting it in front of Draco, already having cried over it once before. “It sounds ridiculous coming from me, who didn’t wish to be in his dad’s shadow, but I wanted to prove to him that I could do it, you know? If I win this tournament, then I know my dad’s words were shit and I’m actually better than he ever was.”

Draco nodded, checking his watch. “Do me a favor.” He looked somewhat anxious himself, “Close your eyes.”

Alice did, fretting what was going to come next. He felt more vulnerable at that moment than he did when he first told Severus. “Do I really sound that awful, Draco? Am I stupid for trying to do this? After everything my dad has done this was the only thing I could do to show him up and now--” Alice’s words were cut off when lips met his, the boy’s eyes snapping open as his eyebrows shot up, face to face with Draco, the boy’s eyes shut as he--wait--

It wasn’t a kiss, but at the same time, it was.

Immediately he tasted the potion and couldn’t help but swallow everything that was given to him, staring at his friend bewilderedly as the other finally leaned back, his own cheeks pink from the motion.

“Y-you--” Alice was trying to find words that met everything that was running through his mind, but his brain was coming up blank. The sight of Alice failing to kickstart his brain and Draco couldn’t help but chuckle, smirking after a while. He reached up and pat Alice’s head.

“You see, Alice, I always reward loyalty.”

The taste of the potion was still fresh in his mouth, and all Alice could do was shut his mouth and nod.

* * *

Something was wrong.

While it was subtle, he wondered if he had gotten ill between the Yule Ball and now. He felt slightly dizzy every time he stood up and had vertigo whenever he laid down. It wasn’t something that was hindering his studies or anything else in his life, however it was becoming annoying. He spent his Hogsmeade weekend with Draco and his friends, Daphne seemingly upset as rumors were that her sister had affections for Harry. It made Alice chuckle lightly, and he wondered what just happened between the two when he left him in her care. Oh well, he wasn’t trying to think too much about Harry right now, not after Draco’s heartfelt confession to him. It was honestly the only thing keeping him from writing in that journal. He didn’t wish to give Harry the wrong idea, and technically he owed Draco everything after he and his family accepted him.

Despite the new term, he was still studying poisons and antidotes with his godfather. Although, something was different. Severus began asking how he felt every time he arrived. Honestly, it was nice that Severus cared, and he admitted the cold he had was starting to feel like a flu. With that he was told to keep hydrated. The lessons didn’t change, however, flu or not Alice wasn’t going to be babied.

Come February the dizziness and vertigo had left, but the flu-like symptoms were worsening. He didn’t understand it, and now Draco was starting to get concerned.

“You look like death.” He whispered, “Are you sure you don’t want to go to see Madam Pomfrey?”

Alice waved the suggestion off. So he looked visibly white and tired, but he was still able to move. “My dad taught me to work through my sickness, I’m doing fine.” He smiled half-heartedly.

Draco wasn’t pleased with the answer, “Working through your sickness? Your father is worse than mine! At least my father would instruct me to get bedrest.”

Alice slumped forward, nursing the pumpkin juice at his side. He still didn’t feel hungry, no matter what he wanted. He already forced himself to eat earlier that day. “You shouldn’t be next to me if I’m this sick, you may catch it.”

“You’re not sick, Alice. A sickness doesn’t last two months. I’m starting to regret giving you that potion.”

Alice turned to him, “They wouldn’t poison us, that’d be criminal!”

Draco gestured to the Ravenclaw table, towards Delacour and how sickly she looked. “Explain why she’s also sick, and,” He then pointed over to the Gryffindor table, how Harry’s head was against the table, “Potter.”

Alice looked at both of them, turning around and looking for Krum, spotting him and seeing how healthy the other boy looked. He narrowed his eyes, “Son of a bitch.”

It made perfect sense, when he really began to think about it. All the nights he spent with Severus asking his current state, the insistence of him learning how to identify poisons and brew antidotes. The fact that only three of the four champion’s were sick - Krum had definitely failed to take the poison. The symptoms were similar to a flu because it was made to seem like it. Which meant the poison wasn’t fast-acting at all, which further meant--

“Should we go to Professor Snape?” Draco asked suddenly.

Alice shook his head. “There’s no need.” He smiled reassuringly, “If it’s a poison, then it means he made it himself.”

“All the more reason to go and demand answers.”

“No, if Severus created it then that means none of us are in real danger.” Alice said in a whisper, “Which means I’m at an advantage. All I have to do is find out what the poison is. The second task is simple now that I know what the clue finally is.”

Draco didn’t look so sure but kept his mouth shut, he had a point. Professor Snape wouldn’t outright kill his own godson.

Harry Potter, possibly, but not Alice.

* * *

The 24th finally arrived, and Alice had to force himself to eat something before he was to go back to the Quidditch Pitch. The snow had been melted away with warming charms, a platform right in the center of an enclosed stadium. There was four mobile stations with cauldrons on them, a large station off to the side with boxes full of various potions ingredients. Behind the tables was a large clock. Alice looked to the side, seeing that Harry didn’t look shocked about the scene at all. Granger must have told him that he was poisoned. He also looked visibly angry about being poisoned, while Delacour was honestly concerned, and Krum - well, Krum looked like he understood. He was still looking healthier than all three of them, confirming Alice’s suspicions. Alice felt like he had an advantage. He had been improving in his potions while Harry was just abysmal at them entirely. He wouldn’t be able to brew a potion to save his life - in which he had to. He had no idea about Delacour or Krum, but he didn’t need to.

Bagman didn’t go to them, presenting the four Champions to their tables, each one being labelled accordingly. He used “ _Sonorus_ ” on his voice, smiling when the last of the students had settled down. “Welcome to the second task. To recap our events, after the prior task we gave each of our Champions a small vial of potion that they were not to take until December 31st at midnight. Inside that potion was a poison.” He paused as the crowd went alive with gasps and whispers. “Our champions had at least two months to figure out what that poison is and how to brew an antidote for it, and now we will see if they actually had done their job. The scoring will go according to whoever brews the appropriate antidote and if that antidote works.” He looked along the Champions, settling his eyes on Krum. “However, those who have decided to not take the poison at the desired time will be disqualified from this task.”

Krum glared at Bagman, looking angry and offended at the implications.

Alice looked over at Karkaroff idly, smirking a little at the man’s demeanor. It was clear that he had known that it was a poison at once, and too afraid of injuring his pride and joy of Durmstrang had instructed Krum not to take it. He chuckled under his breath, it only left him with two others to beat.

Krum was escorted off the platform, him bursting into a heated argument with Karkaroff in full-on Bulgarian. Krum looked angry at his headmaster for costing him the task.

“What was that about?” Harry questioned from beside him, knowing Alice knew something.

“Krum was influenced by self-preservation and refused to take the poison.” He replied, turning his head towards the ingredients. He felt slightly anxious. He had used the last week to research his review on poisons and hoped that the antidote he had in his mind would be the one that he needed.

No, he thought. Severus trained him for a reason. He’d win this.

“Our Champions have two hours to further identify their poison and to brew and take the antidote. You must be quick about this, as you only have two hours to go until the poison begins to shut down your organs.” Bagman was smiling as he said it.

“WHAT?” Harry, Alice, and Delacour screamed.

Bagman ignored them, still smiling. “Three, two, one, START!”

There was a sound of a gunfire blast and Alice jumped in place, focusing on the recipe in his head. He had two hours. He looked quickly at the clock, nodding to himself. Delacour was bent over a book and Harry was flipping wildly through pages.

“It seems like Blackwood doesn’t require further research on his poison. But does he know the antidote?” Bagman’s voice said over them.

Alice began collecting ingredients, the ones he needed. He had to return to his cauldron about three times until he got them all, using his wand to fire up the cauldron and whispering “ _Aguamenti”_ to fill it up halfway.

He set aside the dragonfly wings first, getting out the mortar and pestle from under the table to grind them up into a full powder, reaching then for the knotgrass to chop it up, pressing the side of the knife into the plant to bring out the dew. He flicked the knotgrass into the potion, sliding it off of his knife and setting that aside, stirring it for two minutes. He had to let it steep. After that he took a Mackled Malaclaw tail and began to break it. He only needed the shell, not the meat. He took out his wand, “ _Detondeo_!” He pointed it to the tail, stripping away the meat from the bone.

He took a look over at Harry to see him starting to write down ingredients. Good, he’s catching up. Alice went back to his potion, using a mallet to crush the hard part of the tail into bits before scooping it up and pouring it in, brushing his hands of the crumbs into the potion. He grinned, stirring it counter-clockwise about four times before pouring the powdered dragonfly wings. The potion began to simmer and turn dark purple, which was a good sign. After that he went for borage, spreading out the flower onto his cutting board and slicing it into very thin strips, taking three of them to lie them flat over the potion before using his ladle to dip them inside. He increased the heat and began counting as he stirred. Five clockwise, six counter, three clock, four counter. A vapor began to rise up from it, smelling just god awful. The last ingredient was the frog liver, in which he had to - he cringed - he had to make it bleed into the cauldron, in the only fashion that he learned how to do. He grasped the liver and held it over the cauldron, squeezing it as hard as he could. It was gross, the blood inside of it was leaking out, over his hands and fingers before dripping into the potion, which was turning into a bright magenta. Now he needed it to boil for fifteen minutes then lower the temperature.

As the potion boiled, Alice cleaned his hands off, tossing the mangled liver into the trash provided for him. He looked along the tables, noting Potter cutting the liver, not crushing it with his hands. On his opposite side was Delacour, handling Dragon’s blood with a dropper, the potion bursting into a small explosion once it landed into her coppery potion.

Alice looked over his own potion, the colors were starting to become metallic. It was close.

“Thirty minutes left!” Bagman’s voice announced.

Alice looked back at the clock, double-checking the time and blinking bewilderedly, the time was almost up so fast. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, noting how greasy it had become from his hour standing over the fumes. He gazed out into the crowd and found his godfather sitting with the rest of the staff, watching him intently and gesturing to his wrist. Alice blinked, looking at his own watch before noting the time. He quickly turned the heat down on the potion and began to stir it twenty times as it cooled, alternating clockwise and counterclockwise every motion. It was the color he needed, iridescent pink.

Taking this means it will work within ten minutes. Alice got a bottle out from under the table and began to pour it from the ladle.

“Blackwood has finished his potion, but the question is - will it work?”

“Of course it will.” He said to himself, smirking as he looked at the potion, holding his nose with the other hand and tipping his head back to drink it. It went down thick, tasting pretty awful, but then potions tasted awful in general. He swallowed and sighed, checking his watch and waiting.

Delacour was still working at her potion, gathering some ginger roots but the look on her face was anxious. She wasn’t sure if it was correct. He looked at Harry and saw him finishing up his potion, looking almost relieved as it looked pink--but not as iridescent as Alice’s.

“Potter has finished his potion! It’s a neck and neck race right now.”

Slytherin was starting to cheer for Alice as he waited, and he looked up at them and smiled confidently, catching Draco’s eyes as he went red slightly and looked away. Alice suddenly remembered the kiss he shared with the other, going red himself and moving to feel his lips.

Finally, Alice checked his watch. He...didn’t feel different. Alice frowned, he should be feeling better by now. Instead, he lurched, pressing a hand to his mouth as he almost vomited in front of the school. He fell to his knees and expelled everything into the trash bin, the entire potion expelling out of his stomach. He was confused and starting to panic, he had the right antidote! Did he?

_“Using the wrong antidote will result in your poison expelling what you just taken. You might just make it worse.”_

Alice wiped his mouth with his sleeve, groaning as he felt the pain in his stomach. He looked at the clock and realized his time. He only had fifteen minutes. It wasn’t enough time to re-do anything. He heard a retch and looked to see that Harry was in the same boat as he was, looking terribly confused.

“It seems that Blackwood and Potter have used the wrong potion! Whatever will they do, with just fifteen minutes left!”

Alice was starting to panic, starting to hyperventilate. He had to calm down, he needed to think. He took a strong, steady breath and took his time trying to breathe, enough so that he wasn’t feeling faint. He was starting to feel worse. He looked back up at the teacher’s box, searching for any signs from Severus. The man’s features were stony, his expression hard to read. Briefly their eyes met.

_“Remember your last test.”_ Came the voice in his head, calm and cool.

Alice thought quickly, his last test was before the Yule Ball. It wasn’t hard to forget, as well as other things, he ran through all of his moments, taking the test, all the answers he gave. His small conversation with Draco. There wasn’t anything--

“Ten minutes!”

Alice changed tactics, thinking back to when he received the paper back. Down to the last question. _What can cure most poisons without the need of an antidote?_

Blue eyes widened drastically, remembering what Severus had wrote. Revelation hit his face and he darted out from behind the table to the ingredients shelves, running his hands through the boxes and searching for them desperately. He went through everything. First shelf, nothing. Second shelf, nothing. Third, nothing.

“Five minutes.”

He found it on the bottom shelf, there written in marker. _Bezoars_. He grabbed one and went back to his station, staring at it. What was he to do?

He stared at it for quite some time, realizing that he had no idea how to-- Alice cried out and doubled over, grasping the bezoar. He didn’t have any time to decide, he had to just do it. Alice shoved it into his mouth and ate it, groaning at how gross it tasted.

“Two minutes!”

Alice managed to stand back up, staring at his shaking hands. He inwardly prayed it would work, closing his eyes briefly.

“And Potter has also taken Blackwood’s idea, grabbing for the bezoar! Interesting outcome!”

Alice opened his eyes to look at Harry, finding him shoving the thing into his mouth like it was his last option. It wasn’t long until Alice started to feel better, the pain leaving his stomach and the flu-like symptoms leaving his body. He began to laugh, almost hysterically, jumping up and down as he slammed his hand onto the table. He did it. _He did it!_

“Six, five, four, three, two, one, and TIME!” Bagman announced, grinning. “Let us check up on our Champions!” He turned to inspect Delacour, who looked worse than when she came in, the antidote working against her. “Can we get Miss Delacour to the infirmary?” He called out. From a distance Madam Pompfery and a healer rushed out to the platform to put her on a stretcher, the healer administering the antidote right then before they ushered her away. “Give her an applause, she’s worked just as hard!”

Alice was breathing evenly, looking over at Potter, even he was beginning to look healthy again.

Bagman went over to Alice, grinning. “It was a close one, wasn’t it? I daresay, I have to award Blackwood with first place, and Potter with second! Delacour gets third, and Krum last place!”

The Slytherins burst out into wild excitement, and Alice grinned widely, shaking Bagman’s hand quickly as he stepped out from behind the table. His eyes moved towards the Staff box, catching Severus’s eyes.

He was smiling, it was almost invisible, but it was there.

* * *

The Slytherin common room was active later that night, everyone enjoying a winner’s party for Alice, complete with locally smuggled firewhiskey for those who wished to embibe. Alice was the center of attention tonight, flanked by Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Pansy was sitting on Blaise’s lap, her legs resting on Alice’s.

“How does it feel being a winner?” She asked in a sugary voice.

“I’m not a winner yet.” Alice grinned, “Me and Potter are tied for first, I have to beat him in the next task if I want to win.”

“You’ll win.” Blaise said knowingly, “You were made for it, Alice. You’re a pureblood elite like Draco, you belong at the top.”

Alice didn’t show any reaction to Blaise’s comment, playing it off cooly as he could as he took a drink. He glanced to the other side, seeing his friend silently brooding into his own drink. Alice had a feeling as to why, the not-so-hidden guilt over feeding him that poison. Draco was easier to read than his father, that’s for damn sure. The raven haired boy slid Pansy’s legs off of him and bumped their legs together while the girl fully sat on Blaise. The two of them whispered to each other while Alice was happy to turn his attention away. “You know, it’s not something you should worry about. I’m alive aren’t I?”

“It still doesn’t make up for the fact that I--”

“It was mandatory. Look at Krum, he decided not to take it and he’s in last place as of now.” Alice smiled brightly, “I managed to do pretty good.”

Draco glared at him, “You made it worse, I saw you out there! I heard Bagman, any longer and--”

“I doubt it was true.” Alice interrupted him again, not caring about Draco’s scowling every time he did so. He hated to be interrupted. “I believe it was just a ruse to put pressure on us. Delacour is still alive.”

“She’s still in the hospital wing. That could have easily been you.” He didn’t look pleased at all, “What the hell was Dumbedore thinking, allowing this to happen? It’s obscene.”

“Well the Triwizard Tournament was known for its casualties for a reason.” Alice said blandly, earning him another glare.

“If I knew it would get this insane I would have tried my best to stop you from entering.” He spat. “I understand that you want to prove yourself to your dead father but isn’t this a little too much? Actively poisoning yourself just to prove a point. Your father is dead, his opinion doesn’t even matter anymore.”

Alice looked away then, taking another sip of his whiskey. It went down warm, a familiar taste of cinnamon coating his stomach as the heat pooled in his gut. “I know it doesn’t matter anymore, however--you know how I am.” Alice smiled back at him, “If my pettiness didn’t give you a clue by now.”

The blonde rolled his eyes, setting his drink aside. “Your pettiness gets you in more trouble than it’s worth. First Potter and now it’s facing death down with that fucking cocky grin of yours.”

“Guilttrips won’t shy me away from achieving my goal.” Alice said honestly, “How about this, if it makes you feel better, the next time I want to do something stupid I’ll let you hex me blind to teach me a lesson.”

That finally earned Alice a smile from his friend, though a sarcastic looking one. “As if that would stop you.”

Alice could faintly hear a drunken giggle from Pansy as he lightly shoved Draco, going back into his silence and finishing off the drink. Everything hummed pleasantly at the moment, and he was quite content.

Later that night everyone was dead asleep, promises of hangovers waiting in the shadows. Alice didn’t feel like sleeping, even if he had drank more than Draco had. No, alcohol apparently made his mind wander, and he continued to sit in his bed, staring at his watch. An idea blossomed into his head and he decided to roll with it, slipping on his shoes and robe before taking his broom out from under the bed. He proceeded to tiptoe out of the dormitory, further out of the common room. It was well after midnight, and rounds had been over for a while. Being in the dungeons had its perks, as it was nearer to the entrance hall, not as close as the Hufflepuff common room, but none of them would ever dare to venture outside of the castle.

Alice managed to hide in the alcoves every time he heard something, footsteps, talking, it was either in his mind or coming from teachers. Severus was known to skulk the halls long into the night, looking for that one student to ruin the life of, but even he had to sleep sometime. Eventually he made it up into the first floor, having ducked away when a ghost, the Bloody Baron, hovered past. He waited for a while until taking on the grand entrance door, opening it just so far that he could slip through, thankful of his lithe frame. Once he was out he was hit with the cold night air. The snow was still on the ground, but it definitely wasn’t around in the Quidditch Pitch. As he walked the brisque cold air further cleared up his senses, sobering him up and making him more alert than he was before, feeling that chill down his spine. He broke out into a dazzling grin and started running the rest of the way, finally making it into the pitch and looking around. The platform and everything that came with the second task was gone, leaving a circular patch of green. It was perfect.

The box holding the Quidditch supplies was locked away in the Gryffindor changing room, which he managed to open quickly with his own wand. He took out the snitch and grasped it firmly after opening the box itself.

_“A snitch is just like a tiny bird, and if you can spot a bird from a mile away then a snitch won’t be any different.”_

_“I thought I was a chaser.”_

_“Why be a chaser when you can be everything? You can’t predict that one single position will be open for you in second year, so I’m going to teach you how to do it all.”_

_“Dad, isn’t that a little--”_

_“Do you want to go back to your Auror training?”_

_“No…”_

_“Then let’s have some fun.”_

Alice winced at the memory, trying to forget it just as quickly as it appeared. He went back outside and used his wand to give the snitch some light to see it by, eventually letting it fly off. He watched the small glowing ball of gold hover and dart upwards, its direction becoming erratic and hard to predict. A snitch was impossible to read, which made being a seeker exciting for him. Chasing something that had no rhyme or reason in its path was exhilarating, as it never did the same thing twice. It was unpredictable.

He shrugged off his robe and picked up the broom, mounting it and taking off. 

He was entirely focused on the moment, chasing and catching and releasing only to repeat the process. He was oblivious to everything around him, too intent on losing himself to what he was doing.

He never noticed the black-haired boy watching him from the bottom of the Gryffindor changing room, who had watched him for an hour before vanishing without a trace.

* * *

The months after February were melting away like the snow, the weather giving in to Spring while school continued normally. Alice and Draco were still inseparable, and Pansy continued her veiled hints about their relationship being something more than it was. It earned rightful embarrassment from Alice, but he expected it to go the same way with Draco. Even if Alice was the most observant student in Hogwarts even he began to play dumb to it, not even prepared to take on something this personal. He had bigger things to think about. Come May, the third task was his biggest focus, Bagman approaching the Champions to explain what it entailed.

It was a Triathlon, a race consisting of three separate endurance races. It didn’t sound dangerous at all, until Bagman told them that they would be defending themselves from attacks while performing them. Alice and Harry had no idea what a Triathlon consisted of, but with the word ‘race’ in the title it was clear that the faster man or woman would win. Alice had a begrudging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Harry was fast, very fast. So was Krum. He had to up his game if he wanted to best the both of them.

No amount of running or stretching could get him prepared for an _endurance race_ , as Harry told him later on in his journal. Granger seemed to be knowledgeable on that front. Swimming, running, and flying. His anxiety couldn’t be any more high. All he could do was take the time he had outside of classes and eating to actually go out and run, the spring weather making it easier for him to train. He had enough endurance for running and flying but swimming was the part that he didn’t feel comfortable with. They’d be swimming in the great lake, wouldn’t they? He headed over there after an afternoon, staring along the waters. The ship was still there, a towering presence at the edge of the lake. The great lake was equivalent to the forbidden forest with its own hostile creatures. How were they to swim through such a gigantic body of water?

His gut churned at the thought.

Time seemed to creep on slowly after that, May turning into June at the pace of a sloth. It didn’t help with his worries, his thoughts and concerns. Draco tried his best to distract him, and while he meant well, Alice couldn’t keep his mind off of it at all. And as slow as time went, when it was finally the morning of the third task it felt like a sudden slap in the face. As if time was tormenting him.

He ate in silence, forcing the food down his throat because he needed _something_. He was so focused on his toast that he didn’t feel the hand on his own, and reflexively he took it and kept it there. After a moment he gradually looked down in between him and his friend and a wavering thought went through his head. He swallowed thickly, his breath smelling like grape jam.

“If I lose this,” Alice paused for a second, refusing to look at him, “Make sure I never try to repeat this. Lock me inside the broom closet if you have to or tether me to the bed, just try to knock some sense into me.”

“It’s a little too late to get second thoughts,” Draco told him, “You can always forfeit this task.”

“You know I won’t do that.” Alice smiled despite his mood, “If I win this--it’s never going to happen again.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“I never listen to reason.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I’m very stubborn.”

Draco let go of his hand then, “You’re stalling.”

“I’m aware of that.” Alice shut his eyes and breathed in, opening them to see the other Champions being led out. He finally got up, putting a hand on Draco’s shoulder and hesitating before forcing himself to leave.

All he could think about was getting trapped under water, drowning, being eaten by whatever was down there. He had to shake that thought out of his head.

_“The Goblet of Fire chooses the best out of everyone, Alice, if it chooses you then it means it knows you’re worthy enough to stand the trials.”_

_“So if I put my name in, will I be chosen?”_

_“No. You’re not good enough, son. You show so much promise, but there’s no possible way you’ll be able to get chosen.”_

Alice’s eyes narrowed at the memory, looking at the lake.

_“You’ll never be good enough.”_

Breathe, in and out, steady, even breaths. He went for his shirt, removing it to reveal the wetsuit underneath. “You’re wrong.”

At the shore Bagman was smiling brightly, the four Champions removing their overclothes and looking along the lake wearily. In his hands was a box. There were no signs of students anywhere, and Alice wasn’t the only ones looking around. Harry spotted it first, something flying over them, hovering within their range. 

“The rest of the school will be watching this via a magical projector.” Bagman said when they noticed the hovering object. “Your movements will be tracked.”

Alice finally looked away from it, zeroing in on the box in Bagman’s hands.

“The Triathlon goes like this. You will swim the length of the great lake and follow the red glowing markers, when you reach your destination you will dry up and change, you will be quick about it. Four brooms will be waiting for you when you’re done, and you will notice gold rings waiting for you in the sky, you are to pass through those rings and fly the course back to the forbidden forest. Once you land you’re now in the last leg of the race, you will run the length of the forest - you will not go beyond the red glowing markers of the forest, those are to guide you onward. The end of your race is a clearing, where the Triwizard Cup is placed upon a pillar. The first one to grab the cup is the winner of the third task.” He grinned then, “You will need to be aware of your surroundings in each stage. There will be creatures after you and looking to hinder or stop your progress entirely, you only have your wands to protect you from them.”

Alice’s eyes were still on the box, and Bagman noticed it, chuckling. “Inside this box is what you need for the first course. You four will be underwater, and to make sure you stay that way you will be given gillyweed.”

Harry swallowed thickly, nodding to himself. That’s where the dangers of the first course lay, under the great lake. He was glad to research what was under there.

Krum and Delacour didn’t seem at all fazed , both of them anxious to start.

Alice kept staring at the box, going from that to the lake itself. He set his jaw after a moment, gazing beyond it.

_Do this correctly._

All four of them took a piece of gillyweed, making room at the edge of the lake as Bagman stepped away. It felt slimy in Alice’s hand, wet and slippery.

“Ready!” Bagman bellowed.

Delacour and Krum crouched, getting into diving position.

“Three, two, one, GO!” His wand emitted a loud bang, sparks emitting from the tip.

Alice shoved the gillyweed in his mouth as the other two dived into the water, Harry following them in a split second and leaving Alice for last. He took a quick breath and dove in, quickly feeling the gillyweed take effect. He hissed out, noticing how far behind he was, swimming further to catch up to Harry. His eyes were focused on the red glowing trail, which led them all lower.

It was deafening under the lake, there wasn’t a sound until they began to reach lower, hearing enchanted songs close by. Alice managed to catch up to Harry, both of them exchanging glances as they hurried up to Delacour and Krum.

It was then the first attackers appeared, mermen with tridents, emerging from the seaweed below to chase after them. Something happened and he heard a strangled cry, stopping quickly to turn and spot Harry caught on some of the living plant by his ankle. He yelled out for help and Alice turned to look ahead, noticing the others dealing with the mermen, the boy pulling out his wand to shoot a spell at the offending plant. Harry looked astounded that Alice had stayed to help him, throwing him a thumbs-up before the two hurried on after the other two, Harry finally using his wand to throw hexes at offending mermaids while escaping groping claws.

He had no idea how far in the lake they’ve gotten, him and Harry keeping the same fast pace as they followed the red glowing lights. Delacour was still in sight, but Krum seemed to be far ahead. Of course he was a fast swimmer.

The little buzzing camera, as Alice decided to call it, was around the two of them, and Alice caught a glimpse of the lens and he flashed a smile before deciding to go all out. His faster pace seemed to inspire Harry, and the boy tried to swim farther than Alice. They began to switch out, overtaking one another as they both attempted to catch up to Delacour. It was working, the both of them ending up right behind her after a few more sea-creature attacks they used offensive spells on. Krum was now in their sights, and so was the end of the lake. Alice’s face broke out into relief, however, that was also when the gillyweed began to run its course.

Alarm set in and Alice booked it, exuding all of his energy into the last remaining part, losing the effects just as he touched the surface, and gasping for air once he climbed out onto the green. He heard splashing behind him and gasps, telling him everything he needed to know as he raced towards the bundles of clothes and the broom marked ‘Blackwood’. He quickly spelled himself dry, hearing the rest of them do the same. Krum had already taken off right after he got his shoes on and Alice slipped his on quickly and spelled the laces together, grabbing the broom and kicking off. Up ahead were large golden circular rings, their designated path that encircled the outside of the castle. In the distance he could see men on brooms, holding beaters bats. He leaned forward on his broom, ready to catch up to Krum.

A bludger zipped past him, barely grazing his nose and he realized just how many were out there. He cried out, diving slightly to dodge one while swerving to dodge another. Up ahead, Krum seemed to be doing the same, with more finesse. Of course, he’s a famous seeker. This wasn’t going to stop him, and Alice pretended that he was chasing a snitch, imagining Krum as the elusive golden bird as he kicked off and dove, ducked, dodged, dipped out of the way of every oncoming bludger. He was entirely focused on his goal, so focused that he didn’t see Harry speeding up beside him, almost running straight into him when a bludger was close to maiming him. Alice cried out and gripped his broom tighter, assuming Harry had done it on purpose. He returned the gesture, trying to knock him out of the ring. They were right on Krum’s heels and the older boy knew it, holding out his wand behind him and uttering a hex that Alice spun away from, from the color of the hex his eyes grew wide, dodging it again and again. Was that the Cruciatus curse?

It was the Cruciatus curse, hearing Krum yell it out, and refusing to turn his sights from Alice to Harry, as if he had it in for Alice himself. Alice gripped the broom with one hand and reached for his wand, “ _Incendio_!” He snarled out, shooting a flame onto the bristles of his broom. Krum’s eyes went wide and he took a quick dive. Alice could hear his heartbeat in his ears, swooping down when the trail began to lower itself to the greens. The forbidden forest was in sight and Potter was right behind him, Krum wasn’t anywhere to be found and he was pretty sure Delacour was far behind.

They quickly made their way to the end, dropping their brooms and staring at the darkness beyond the trees. Alice felt a cold chill go up his spine.

“You set Krum’s broom on fire!” Harry shouted, apparently angry at Alice’s action. “Don’t lie, I saw everything!”

“Talk while running, Potter!” Alice flicked his wand with a lumos charm, hurrying to enter the forest. The red glowing lights led the way, and he had to make sure not to trip. “I set his broom on fire because he was trying to impair me!” He shouted.

“Impair you?” Harry’s own wand was lit up, both of them keeping up pace.

“He was throwing the Cruciatus.” Alice explained shortly, crying out when something jumped before them from above the trees, an acromantula.

“ _Expulso_!”

“ _Confringo_!”

Their curses shot out in unison, creating a bigger blast than necessary, the acromantula screeched, hurled away and curling up like a dead spider. Both of them didn’t think twice about it, continuing on their path.

“Why would he be throwing the Cruciatus at you?” Harry yelled, quickly dodging something that came shooting past him. An arrow. Someone was shooting arrows at them.

“Protego!” Alice applied his shield and ran on Harry’s other side. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t trying to hex Harry, in all honesty he should be doing his damndest to make sure the Gryffindor wouldn’t catch up to him. “I don’t know!” He replied hastily, thinking quick. He decided to cut into another direction after that, intent on losing Harry and whatever attacks that were going his way, only to realize that his path was more dangerous than Harry’s. Something was chasing him for sure, hearing a vicious snarl and a ear-trembling bark behind him. Alice quickly looked back and there he could see it, a three-headed beast chasing after him. He let out a shriek and turned sharply left, trying to zigzag through the trees, but the beast wasn’t backing down. He was coming close to a bundle of trees and he took the chance, taking refuge in the bundle and pressing himself up against it, putting out his light as quickly as possible.

The beast seemed to stop and pad around, sniffing out Alice and trying to seek his scent. He shut his eyes, chills going up his spine and wondering if this was the stupidest thing he’s ever done. He could hear Severus judging him in his head, a look of pity on his eyes.

“Here Fluffy!” A voice cried out, and Alice’s eyes snapped open, finding Harry nearby, slowly approaching the beast. In his other hand was a stick, a rather thick branch. “Do you wanna play fetch?” He asked it in a happy voice.

The beast forgot about Alice completely, all of a sudden, bounding over to Harry like a hyperactive puppy, slobber drooling everywhere. Harry grinned and ran the opposite direction, throwing the branch as far as possible and sending the beast running after it.

Alice stared on in disbelief, and turned his attention to Harry. “Why did you do that?”

Harry shrugged, “Do I need a reason?”

Alice let out a slightly hysterical laugh, shaking his head no and starting up a pace with him. They started to run again.

“You still never told me why you entered the Tournament.” Harry shouted at him.

“I guess...you’re a friend now, aren’t you?” Alice took a moment to think, “My dad is--was a fucking perfectionist. He wanted me to be this great person that could do anything. It was a lot of pressure and I didn’t stand up to his expectations in some things. He used to tell me about the Tournament when I was a child.”

Harry listened on, tripping over a branch suddenly and finding that Alice was standing by to help him up. “Thanks.” He breathed, “Continue?”

“I always wanted to enter this.” Alice wasn’t shouting anymore, “Ever since I was able to cast spells. I just never knew my father held me in such low regard.” He glanced quickly at Harry. “He told me I’d never be a Champion, in so many words he said I would never be good enough.”

Harry and Alice began to slow down, none of them realizing that there weren’t any more obstacles or creatures in the area. In fact, where was Delacour and Krum?

“You’re doing this to prove yourself.” Harry said finally.

“Sounds shitty if you think about it,” Alice smiled wanly, “Me entering this Tournament out of spite to a dead man.”

“I think you’re proving him wrong already.” Harry said honestly, smiling against the wandlight. “Look how far you’ve come.”

Alice blinked a few times, looking ahead. There was a faint glow in the distance. “Yeah…”

He and Harry started forward again.

“I want you to take the Cup.” Harry said suddenly once they were nearly there. The gleaming icy blue of the cup shining around the deadly black of the forest like a beacon. Alice and Harry stopped once they got there, the bespectacled boy gesturing him to go forward.

There it was…

Alice should be grabbing it, claiming his victory, claiming his glory and winning the tournament.

But all of a sudden it felt so...hollow.

It felt like a hollow victory, if he took that cup now then he would finally prove his father wrong. He would be able to proudly say he was better than him. But…

Severus had a point. Draco had a point. His father was dead. He was doing this for all the wrong reasons. Being petty and spiteful against a man who was buried six feet under sounded so...pointless. If he thought about it carefully, he was already better than his father.

Because he was still alive.

Alice continued to stare at the glowing cup, feeling apprehension. He looked over to Harry, who seemed to be waiting expectantly.

“Let’s both win.” Alice then said.

Harry blinked, “What?”

“There hadn’t been two Champions that ever won before. Think about it Potter, we’re tied. If we both take it, we make history. Just like at the Yule Ball when two Champions attended with each other.” He smirked slightly.

Harry watched him, his cheeks darkening from the memory. “Are--you sure about this? What about your father?”

“My father’s dead, he doesn’t matter anymore.”

Both of them looked back at the Cup, and Harry thought about it carefully. He didn’t see any harm in it...the thought sounded...unifying. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor working together to win the Tournament.

“Okay, on three.” Harry told him.

Alice nodded, both of them stepping up to the pillar.

“One, two…”

“Three!”

Both of them grasped the cup, and suddenly they felt a violent pull. The forest had vanished.

* * *

They both landed hard onto the ground, the cup falling from their grasp and rolling slightly. Alice winced in pain at the hard landing and slowly sat up, looking at Harry who had managed to get onto his knees.

They were obviously somewhere else. Somewhere far, far from Hogwarts. It looked to be a graveyard, which gave off this ominous feeling that sent a cold chill up Alice’s spine. He didn’t like what he felt. “Harry.” His voice wavered.

“Where are we?” The boy asked.

“I don’t know, but let’s keep our wands at the ready.” They both slowly stood, taking their wands into their hands. Alice was on high alert.

Someone was moving towards them, and Alice instinctively backed up into Harry, keeping his hearing sharp. Eventually Harry saw it, a shadowed, cloaked figure, who kept walking ever so calmly towards them. The more he looked the more he realized that figure was carrying something, like how one would carry a swaddled baby.

Alice suddenly heard Harry cry out in pain, the boy doubling over behind him and holding his scar, deep in a horrible state of unrest. Alice raised his wand instinctively, narrowing his eyes.

His skin still had goosebumps, his senses were telling him to act sharp and fast.

A voice then filled the eerie silence, from far away, _“Kill the spare.”_

Alice’s alarms went off.

“ _Avada Kedavra!”_

Alice launched himself out just in time, scrambling behind a grave and keeping his wand out, his heart was beating quickly and his blood was rushing. Someone had tried to kill him!

“Alice!” Harry cried out, darting his head towards the gravestone that he hid behind. It was no use, however, Alice was frozen in shock, his senses were taking in every single sound.

_“Take care of him later.”_ The voice rasped.

Harry was being pulled to his feet, dragged to a tombstone and tied up with ropes. “Alice!” He cried, “Help me!”

Alice didn’t move, staring out in horror but not moving. Slytherin self-preservation was kicking in, begging him to save himself.

“If he knows better, he won’t interfere.” The cloaked man said loudly, as if warning Alice of his fate if he were to do anything.

Alice couldn’t help Harry now. He just couldn’t. He needed to wait. His eyes flickered to the cup, a wayward thought begging him to run to it, take it and go back. Everything in his Slytherin mind screamed at him to go back by himself. When he looked back at Harry, who cried out upon seeing who the cloaked man was, his inner cries became muddled.

If he let Harry die now, then what did that make him?

When he saw the gigantic snake Alice twisted around again, lowering himself as if not to be seen.

“Blackwood!” Harry screamed, his voice resonating within Alice’s bones. Alice had no idea what was happening, only knowing that it wasn’t anything good at all. He heard movement and rasping, the faraway voice commanding, _“Faster”_.

“Blackwood, please!” Harry tried again, frustration curling up within him as well as anger. Alice wasn’t responding to him, he wasn’t trying to help or free him. He was just sitting there. A piercing thought sickened him, that this was all Alice’s plan, that maybe Alice wanted him to touch the cup. Maybe it was Alice that put his name in the Goblet. It was a sickening thought to have, but also something he pleaded to whatever god that it wasn’t true.

No, they tried to kill him, did they?

If Alice was in on this, he’d be with Wormtail, snidely making comments at Harry’s expense.

But then…

“It is ready, Master.”

_“Now...”_

Alice was trying to breathe calmly, feeling his head go light. Something was watching him from afar, and he could feel the eyes roaming his person, yet staying in the shadows. Whoever or whatever it was, they were making sure he didn’t move.

Then the cloaked figure from before was speaking.

_“Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!”_

Alice chanced to sit upright, glance back, and suddenly the man was slicing off his own hand, crying in pain and whimpering from having done so.

_“Flesh — of the servant — w-willingly given — you will — revive — your master.”_

He looked in horrendous pain, screaming out before the hand splashed into the cauldron. Alice didn’t seem to give a shit about the pain. The man looked...sad, as it was. His eyes were mostly trained on Harry, their eyes meeting, green for blue, Harry’s jaw was tight, glaring at him, silently giving him one last chance at redemption.

Then--

_“B-blood of the enemy … forcibly taken … you will … resurrect your foe.”_

The man had taken a dagger and went to Harry, the boy giving Alice one last pleading look before the dagger cut into Harry’s arm, the man collecting his blood for the cauldron. He was still in pain, breathing raggedly and finally slumping onto his knees and collapsing. This could be his time, his moment to get to Harry, grab him and leave. It could have been so easy…

If not for the misty vapor that was released from the cauldron, blinding everyone. Alice’s heart thundered in his chest, starting to see a skeletal man emerge from the cauldron, standing high.

“Robe me.”

There was whimpering and movement, the mist dissipating and exposing the back of the man. Harry looked completely pale, as if the blood had drained from his face entirely.

Whoever it was, his presence was indeed terrifying.

Alice turned back around, taking a breath. His head went light once more, his hearing focusing on every ounce of sound. He was talking, there were murmurs, whimpers and pleas. The man continued to speak, his voice strong and ghostly and eerily commanding. He still felt eyes on him, unwavering, intent eyes, and suddenly, various cracks. People were apparating into the graveyard. He turned around sharply, staring at men in cloaks and masks. He recognized those masks at once.

Alice’s eyebrows rose, _Death Eaters_. Followers of Voldemort. That meant…

“What about the spare?” The whimpering man had asked, now looking over at Alice and meeting his eyes. Alice winced when Voldemort turned sharply to look at the boy behind the gravestone, grinning maliciously.

“You.” He snapped his wand upwards. “Up.”

Alice found himself compelled to stand, raising up without even willing himself. He stared at Voldemort, realizing just who this was, just who he was curious about after the Quidditch Cup. Alice found himself compelled to walk towards him, his hands at his sides, his wand clutched tight in his hand.

Voldemort stared at him as if Alice was a curious sight, his wand laying under Alice’s chin and tipping it up. “You look...dreadfully familiar.”

“Master, if I may,” A Death Eater stepped out quickly, his voice ringing in Alice’s ears. He knew that voice. He stepped over to Voldemort when he allowed it, reaching forward and whispering in his ear. Alice kept his features calm, he did his best to keep everything calm. Being immersed in fear right before the greatest Dark Wizard in Britain would not bode well for him.

Slow realization graced Voldemort’s features and he looked at Alice differently now, grinning as the Death Eater stepped away, towards Alice and to take him by the arms.

“I see, I see. How interesting indeed. It wouldn’t do me any favors to kill the godson of my most devoted servant now, does it?” He mused loudly, making Alice flinch.

His godfather was…

“An American pureblood--”

Alice swallowed thickly, remembering the lie. He suddenly realized why Severus was teaching him Occlumency, doing his best to clear his mind quickly, the older wizard stepping closer to turn his chin upwards. He didn’t have a chance to hide his most damning memories, blue eyes meeting with crimson before he felt something slither through his mind like an invisible snake that was searching for secrets. Alice did his best not to show fear, standing up as straight as possible.

Whatever Voldemort saw was only known to him, but from the looks of it the man looked amused, staring at Alice thoughtfully. Alice swallowed again, fretting. He didn’t just see Alice’s secret, did he?

“You’re an...interesting child.” Voldemort finally acknowledged him, an idea forming into his head as he turned to Harry, who was still watching on in pure shock. “I have a wonderful idea.” He snapped his head back to the Death Eater holding Alice. “Let the boy go, Lucius.”

Alice felt a cold shiver down his spine. Lucius Malfoy. The man was hesitant to let him go but he finally did, lowering his head toward Alice’s ear.

“Do what you have to to impress him.” The man murmured, finally stepping back.

Voldemort stepped over to Harry, vanishing the ropes immediately. “From what I saw it looks like young Alice can duel, and has duelled. Though, it didn’t end as you hoped it did, didn’t it, Alice?” Voldemort said his name like a hiss on his tongue, and Alice shook his head.

“N-no,” He thought quickly, “My Lord.”

His gut churned, Harry staring at him heatedly.

“I will allow you another chance at redemption.” Voldemort stepped back towards Alice, putting him into position. Harry seemed to be unable to move, as if Voldemort had made it impossible. Alice’s mind was reeling. What was happening?

“I take it you’re aware of Unforgivables.” Voldemort said to him, still grinning with those frightening teeth.

“I learned them well, My Lord.” Alice winced when he said that. It seemed to be the right thing to say.

“Then demonstrate for me, I want to see you cast a Cruciatus.” He looked towards Harry, spreading his arm out towards the other.

Alice’s head was spinning. He looked at Harry with wide eyes, but he was frozen. How could he cast a Cruciatus on Harry, it required more emotion than any other spell. More hatred.

“Alice, no,” Harry begged.

_I can’t just say no._ Alice thought abysmally. _He’s known to kill and torture. I can’t back out of this._

Feeling Alice’s hesitation, Voldemort leaned into Alice, placing a spindly hand on his shoulder. “Think of your _father_.” He hissed out tauntingly.

Alice’s jaw tightened, staring at Harry and raising his wand. Think of his father.

“Blackwood, please!”

_“You won’t amount to anything at the rate you’re going.”_

_“I don’t tolerate losers in this family. Losing is not an option.”_

_“These grades are poor, what are you, lazy or stupid?”_

Alice’s eyes flickered and he shook his head, finally stepping forward.

“ _Crucio!_ ” He screamed, pointing at Harry.

It hit him directly in the stomach, and Harry collapsed to the ground, writing in pain as long as Alice was holding him under. All the boy could do was think about his father, everything he couldn’t do to impress him, the burning resentment and hatred that grew into a monster inside of his mind.

Voldemort applauded, “Wonderful! I enjoy watching a show. Yes, very good, crumbling at your feet, watching him writhe in pain. It looks completely beautiful.”

Alice didn’t know how long he had done this, but when he finally stopped Harry was twitching, his muscles spasming from the excruciating pain. Alice took a breath and stepped back into his place, lowering his wand slowly.

_I’m so sorry._

“I see a future for you, Alice.” Voldemort was back at his side. He was animated, practically everywhere, moving around in excitement, wanting to move his newly formed body. “Now, stand aside with Lucius, go, go,” He shooed Alice, who stepped back towards Lucius, the man obvious to spot as his hair peeked out of his hood. “It’s my turn to have some fun.” He raised his wand, flicking it upward. Harry was now standing against his will. He still looked in terrible pain, groaning and refusing to look at Alice anymore.

Alice felt Lucius’s hands on his arms, his head back down.

“You did perfectly well, Alice, now don’t interfere, he will certainly kill you if you try anything.”

Alice nodded stiffly, “Is he going to kill Potter?” He whispered.

“No, he’s toying with him, for now.” Lucius said as Voldemort forced him into a duel and threw his own Cruciatus curse at him, still animated in his movements.

Alice watched, unable to do anything as Voldemort continued to toy with him like a cat playing with a mouse. Cruciatus after Cruciatus, tauntingly short ones, and then an Imperius curse. Alice winced, Harry ripped himself out of it and hid behind a gravestone. He could feel his wand in his hand, but with Lucius’s hands on his shoulders he knew he wasn’t able to move. For some reason Lucius’s presence was comforting at that moment, as the man stopped Voldemort from outright killing him.

Alice owed Lucius a favor for that.

Suddenly--

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

“ _Avada Kedavra_!”

Both spells shot out at once, hitting each other dead on in a jet of red and green light. Harry struggled and so did Voldemort, each trying to get the upper hand and beat the other. Alice was transfixed on what was happening, gazing on in amazement. The light was now gold. Harry looked to be holding his own, but he was also having trouble. Soon, however, they were lifted up into the air. The only Death Eater who didn’t circle them was Lucius, keeping Alice away from the scene, doing his best to protect the boy from harm. The rest of the Death Eaters were jeering as the two were encased in a golden dome. The sight was spectacular.

Although, nothing prepared him for the ghosts that wafted from the tip of Voldemort’s wand. They all began speaking to Harry, encouraging him. He didn’t really know what was said but Harry began tearing up.

And suddenly, everything was wrenched away. The ghosts descended upon Voldemort, and Harry was darting away. Alice saw his chance.

“I’m sorry!” He told Lucius, shoving him back and hurrying as Voldemort cried for his men to stun Harry. Lucius didn’t seem to mind that Alice shoved him away, acting in Voldemort’s stead and joining the others.

“Harry!” He ducked the stunners and reached for Harry’s arm, the boy scrambling for the cup. Harry was too much in a panic to shake him off, allowing Alice to grab hold of him.

“Accio!” Harry cried, the port-key flying into his hands and both him and Alice were suddenly sucked out of the graveyard.

They landed with a heavy thud in the courtyard, surrounded by the entire school. Alice could hear cheering as the two of them appeared. All Alice could think about was Voldemort, the sick feeling in his stomach staying inside of him like a reminder of what he did. He was still holding onto Harry, and when the boy noticed this he wrenched his own arm from Alice’s grasp.

Everything was suddenly a blur, the cheering continued, students gathering around them. Alice was overwhelmed suddenly as his friends found him. He looked around for Harry desperately, finding him getting lured away by Professor Moody, promising the boy that he’d take him to Dumbledore. Of course, he thought grimly, Harry was going to tell him. He suddenly felt more sick than before, wondering if Harry was going to tell them about--

“I hope you’re happy.” Draco went in to pat his back, “Even if Potter won with you, you’re still being held by your promise. No more harrowing attempts on your own life.”

Alice swallowed thickly, unable to find any mood to match his friend’s, “Something happened.” He felt miles away when he said it, finally breaking away from the Slytherins, searching for Severus. He found the other quickly, hurrying over to him, not knowing Draco was following. “Severus, something happened--” He grabbed the other’s arm desperately.

From the looks of Alice’s pallid face, Severus was quick to act. He took Alice’s shoulders, slowly becoming alarmed. His dark mark said enough. “Tell me.”

Alice opened his mouth but it was hard to speak, he was hyper aware of people around them. The more he couldn’t speak the more frustrated he got, finally staring up at his caretaker. Their eyes met and he felt the intruding silk touch, wincing every time it tickled but refusing to look away from Severus. With a sharp feeling the touch pulled out suddenly and Severus broke eye contact, looking for Harry. “Where is Potter?” He barked, his voice shaking just a bit. It was almost hard to tell.

“He went with Professor Moody--the man told him he was taking him to Dumbledor--”

“Draco look after Alice!” Severus turned away and left as fast as possible towards the castle, and Alice finally felt the sickness rising into his throat. He doubled over, retching and expelling bile. It tasted like acid running down his tongue and his knees collapsed from under him. He felt a hand rubbing his back as he started to wipe his mouth with his sleeve.

He was going into shock.

“What was that about?” Draco was confused, his friend wasn’t acting right for everything he had just done. Alice should be celebrating, not vomiting and panicked. Finally he managed to turn Alice around and the boy was staring at him, gaunt in his features as if he had seen something horrible.

“Voldemort isn’t dead.” Alice said it in barely a whisper, reaching forward to grasp his sleeves.

As he said it he felt everything spin around him, and he knew Draco was speaking but his voice sounded miles away. He collapsed again, hearing a haze of voices as his vision swam before everything went black.

* * *

Professor Moody turned out to be a farce. He was actually a Death Eater who had kidnapped the real ex-Auror and assumed his identity. He had put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire and made sure to train Harry in his advanced spells to help him win the Tournament. He didn’t live long, apparently given to Dementors so his soul could be sucked out of his body. Alice knew he should have said something to Severus about Moody’s habits, but he didn’t say anything.

He expected to be expelled, actually. Alice had performed an Unforgivable on Harry, in all accounts he should be getting his wand snapped, but Harry had told Dumbledore that Alice was forced into doing so, and it wasn’t his fault. He actually stood up for Alice. He didn’t know how to feel about that, as whenever he and Harry crossed paths there was an obvious animosity. Harry didn’t look at him like he used to, there was a hint of betrayal in his eyes.

Next to Lucius Malfoy, he owed Harry Potter a favor, also.

He should have been livid, actually, that Lucius Malfoy and his own Godfather were Death Eaters, but the more he thought about it the less he wanted to hold that against them. Voldemort was a powerful force, and people gravitated to that. Besides, Severus and Lucius weren’t bad people. From everything he knew, from everything he saw, he couldn’t hold any ill will towards either of them. He remembered Severus lecturing him about taking a dark path, and he wondered if it meant that he was trying to sway Alice away from Voldemort, as if he knew what it entailed to be a Death Eater and didn’t wish to see Alice suffer like he did.

The Triwizard Tournament ended with Harry and Alice as the first ever double winners, the prize money was split, five-hundred galleons for the both of them. They both had glory and honor, but even then Alice felt like he would have happily traded all that away if it meant things wouldn’t turn out for the worse.

Nothing was going to be the same.


	3. Fifth Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here onwards is an in-depth look at Alice's personal struggle between good and evil, and what side he would rather be on.
> 
> The dynamic between Alice and Voldemort has elements taken from "The Dark Lord's Prince".

The summer after that fateful night seemed to take a toll in Alice’s life. Suddenly he was all too aware of Voldemort now, and how that this wizard has now alive and not just a tale he learned about in secret. He was one of two witnesses to his resurrection, the very person that the Dark Lord managed to torture Harry Potter with for shits and giggles. That Cruciatus was still on his mind, still playing in the background of his memories. Because of that, he was witnessing it like it was a horrible movie left on repeat. He cursed his father then, as it was _his_ fault that Alice had such a good memory.

The journal hadn’t alerted him of Harry’s inscription for at least a month, and Alice was too afraid to even try. He remembered clearly how Harry had ripped Alice’s hand off his arm in disgust and the following days after that night, how the boy treated him with stiff animosity for the rest of the school year. While Harry didn’t turn him in for what he did, his opinion of Alice dropped significantly.

Severus was doing his best under the circumstances, but now Alice knew that the man leaving his house every now and then was because of a summons from the Dark Lord himself. Alice busied himself with Severus’s books while the man was gone, trying to learn something he could use. He felt like something was going to happen between now and whenever, that Voldemort wasn’t just here to hang loose and catch up with his Death Eaters. Severus stated in his own not-so-veiled demands that Alice was to keep clear of Malfoy Manor, as apparently the Dark Lord himself was a frequent visitor now. He hated it, actually. He hated being so separated from his best friend and knowing that Draco was under Voldemort’s nose.

His opinion of Voldemort and his world views were mixed. While the man was an impressive force, almost amazing given the power he held, he was also the most dangerous dark wizard that ever lived. Meanwhile, his beliefs about muggle-borns and muggles themselves slightly mirrored Alice’s own views: Alice wasn’t ever a fan of muggle-borns given the only one he knew of was his own mother, and she was a right piece of work that he loathed less than his father. You couldn’t hate someone who was never around, could you? His opinion of muggles, however, was because of their ignorant views and beliefs, and in so many ways, they were so far behind than the wizarding world itself - a world that was founded in old-fashioned ways. The muggle world may have been more advanced, but they lacked it in their mentality.

Alice was sure Voldemort knew his opinions of the matter. He had forgotten to occlude his mind correctly on that night and had given the dark wizard more than enough memories and thoughts for the man to sink his teeth into, which was possibly why Voldemort had treated him so nicely during that night. He didn’t know how to feel about that, that the Dark Lord might have found him favorable. While his parents had trained him so well against the Dark, he wasn’t all that keen on remaining perfectly pristine: which was why he was studying on Dark Arts while Severus was gone, just to have a well-rounded education. It wasn’t harmful if you didn’t use it, right?

Not that Severus knew what Alice had been doing while the man was gone.

The Daily Prophet seemed to be taking Harry Potter’s word and twisting it into pure lies, that Voldemort wasn’t alive and the Boy-Who-Lived was delusional. He felt bad for Harry, truly. It was clear that the Ministry was in deep denial, and ever-paranoid when it came to thinking that Voldemort could be alive. It wasn’t until mid-June that reporters started popping up in Spinner’s End, Rita Skeeter herself wishing to have a word with the famed Hogwarts Co-Champion. Severus had dealt with those blasted people with a perfectly executed sneer and wards. Alice knew, however, that stepping out of that house would mean the hounds would descend upon him and try to pry his own account out of his mouth only to later blab on the Prophet that Alice Blackwood was a barmy lunatic just like the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

At least it was him, Alice thought. If anyone else could have been the unlucky person to travel with Harry to that graveyard, there might have been a funeral this month.

It was the beginning of July when Alice was greeted by a welcomed visitor, Severus and him turning their attention to the fireplace as Lucius and Draco stepped through. Alice immediately dropped his Ancient Runes tome and hurried over to the blonde boy.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Alice hugged him despite the question.

Lucius took in the gesture but gave nothing away, his jaw set in stone as he looked towards Severus. “I felt it prudent that Alice and my son should spend the summer together.” There was a vague double-meaning to the words that Alice could pick up on instantly, turning to the older man.

“Is this about Voldemort?” He questioned, causing Lucius to turn towards him. They exchanged silent stares for a moment, the man saying nothing before turning back to Severus.

“His trunk should arrive shortly.” Lucius continued.

Severus already knew what his friend was doing, using Alice as a reason to distance Draco from the Dark Lord, the less the man provided detail was for the better, lest the Occlumency didn’t work.

Draco wasn’t complaining, honestly. He was quite happy to actually spend time with Alice, and less time trying to avoid Voldemort whenever he visited. Only, the house that Alice lived in looked dreadfully small, and his nose wrinkled in slight dismay. There probably wasn’t even more than two bedrooms.

“Looks like we’re roommates.” Alice tried to think of the bright side, foregoing the analyzing questions to Draco’s father. “I hope you don’t snore.” He smirked.

Draco looked at him sideways. “I’ve heard you sleep, Alice, you sound like a mating Hippogriff.”

Alice shoved him lightly.

* * *

  
  


Living with Draco Malfoy in a dorm full of boys was vastly different than living with Draco Malfoy in a single cramped room that fit two single beds and their personal effects combined. First of all, Draco didn’t live like Alice. He was used to wide spaces and less dour surroundings. Spinner’s End was depressing when you actually thought about it. Alice had spent enough time inside the house to actually forget how depressing it was. Someplace like Malfoy Manor might have been cold and fine crafted, but it was at least filled with an air of familiarity and had enough adequate light. Spinner’s End was dark and moody, fitting its owner perfectly.

Draco and Alice discovered quickly that they were two different people. Alice lived without order and left everything lying around everywhere, while Draco was a well-practiced neat freak who had to have everything in order. Often times Alice would return to his own room to see that his bed was made and all his effects were placed somewhere he didn’t place them, all in a tidy order that actually annoyed him. He left things in certain places for a reason, and Draco was actually disrupting his way of organization. Draco argued that there was no organization to be had. They had gotten into petty arguments about that, because Alice wasn’t the type to let the little things go.

Then there was the proper way Draco was raised, like a real aristocratic pureblood that understood the strict rules of table manners and everything else, while Alice was more relaxed and hectic, being raised in an environment when the faster he ate, the faster he got back to whatever he was doing. Though, Draco should have known what to expect, watching how his friend treated meals in the Great Hall for two years.

The most noticeable thing that Alice would encounter was the actual petulant bitching - when Alice paid too much attention to something other than his best friend. Outside of Alice’s Potions studies, the Malfoy heir felt like Alice’s time should be more aptly devoted to paying attention to his guest than doing what he usually did before Draco moved in temporarily.

He realized just why Severus took to doing so many things in the privacy of his basement now. He _knew_ how Draco was. His eye twitched at the realization as he flipped the page to his own book.

“You’ve been reading for an hour.” Came the familiar bored drawl.

“Books usually take a while to finish,” Alice muttered.

“Since when did you begin reading so much? You’ve never done this at Hogwarts. You’re a horrid student.”

Alice sighed, closing the book. “Me being a horrid student is exactly why I’m reading so much. Severus actually wants me to pass my OWLs. I’ve been doing this since last summer.”

Draco’s nose wrinkled, “You’re reminding me of Granger again.”

“Says the boy who has exemplary marks in all of his classes.” Alice put his book aside and rummaged through the desk that was in between their beds. He frowned, searching for his sketchbook. “Where--”

“Third drawer down.” Draco answered him immediately, “Also I have high marks because I actually do my work, unlike you, and I don’t have to bury my nose in a book at all hours to achieve it.” He smirked slowly. “You could actually learn to do better if you didn’t take naps in Professor Binns’ class.”

Alice fished his sketchbook out of the third drawer and narrowed his eyes at him. “Oh come off it, like you haven’t fallen asleep listening to a ghost drone on and on in a monotone. He’s practically white noise.”

“Actually, no. I haven’t.” The blonde replied smoothly, adjusting his position on his bed.

Alice muttered something indescriptive before flipping his sketchbook, feeling frustrated. He could feel Draco staring at him while he thought about what to sketch, finally deciding on a subject. The memory of Harry and Voldemort’s duel in the graveyard, how the two beams of light became one and the dome of gold surrounded them both.

Draco looked slightly offended that he wasn’t the subject of his sketches, despite Alice having devoted eighty percent of his pages to the blonde boy. He moved over to sit beside Alice, watching him sketch and knowing that Alice was far too focused to have noticed Draco move at all. Seeing him sketch was like watching Alice recall his actual memories, breathing life into them on paper and creating magic without having to use it.

Eventually, a thought passed Draco’s mind. “What was it like?”

Alice slowly registered that Draco’s voice was at his side now, taking in the question. “Confusing and quick. Everything went by so fast that I barely registered what was going on until it happened. Everything was dramatic.”

Draco unknowingly leaned his shoulder against Alice’s, “Were you frightened of him?”

“Voldemort?” He watched Draco wince slightly, shaking his head. “I...wouldn’t say frightened. I was in a panic, maybe, but I don’t recall trembling in fear like the rest of them. He seemed to treat me differently--like he understood.” Alice frowned, continuing to sketch the dome. “I don’t think I had time to register any feelings.”

“Father said you put Potter under the Cruciatus.”

Alice nodded quietly, still not sure how to feel about having done that. It was so quick and instant, and while he felt guilty, he also felt something that concerned him. He felt a sliver of relief and satisfaction as if he had taken his anger out in a cathartic way, almost near enjoyable. He looked to Draco, noting him smirking, his eyes holding a tendril of envy.

“I wish I were there to see it.” His friend said quietly.

“It wasn’t one of my finest moments,” Alice mumbled.

They remained in silence for a while, and Draco’s mind wandered to another thought, something he felt like he needed to bring up.

“I know what happened in the forest.” He looked over at Alice then, watching him hold in the slightest hint of a wince. “The whole thing was on display, you telling Potter about why you entered, offering him the cup,” A flash of emotion passed his gray eyes, “Calling him a _friend_.”

Alice stopped sketching, having totally forgotten about those buzzing cameras that were on them. After what Draco had been put through at the Yule Ball, of course, Draco sounded hurt by what he did.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Alice, “‘Sides, after the graveyard, I think he pretty much hates me.” He watched Draco pluck the sketchbook out of his hands, tossing it aside. The pencil followed and Alice blinked, looking up at him confusedly, “What--”

“You need to be reminded of where your loyalties lie,” Said Draco, and Alice was confused up until Draco grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. This one was different than the first, although the first wasn’t really a kiss, but more of a diversion while Draco fed him the potion. This one - this one had feelings behind it, intensity and a hint of possessive behavior. Alice was losing breath quickly but he didn’t want to break it, his thought process was going off the rails. By the time Draco broke it off Alice was successfully a blank slate, staring at Draco with a flushed face as he tried his hardest to think again. His reaction seemed to please the blonde, and Draco ended up grinning. “Did I finally render you speechless?”

Alice opened his mouth and closed it, becoming flustered quickly and ending up narrowing his eyes at him, “You--” He stopped, “We--” That wasn’t it, “How--” No, that was wrong. The more he found himself unable to speak the more smug Draco became. Alice hated that smug face, doing the only thing that came to mind and reaching out to grasp Draco by his shirt and pull him back into a crushing kiss, one that caught him by surprise.

Although as soon as it began Alice had to shove Draco away, hard, and Draco yelped, falling off the side of the bed while the sound of footsteps alerted Alice to his caretaker. Alice was quickly reading his book, trying to look like he wasn’t just making out with his best friend while Draco glared at him from the floor - offended that Alice shoved him onto the dirty surface.

Severus arrived only a second later to summon them for dinner, eyeing the current scene he walked in on. Alice looked obvious, the flush to his cheeks was his giveaway, but the man didn’t say anything about it.

The suspicion was further cemented when Alice did just about anything to avoid Draco’s eyes while at the kitchen table.

* * *

  
  


Everything Alice had remembered after that one moment seemed to take on another meaning, and suddenly the boy was ultra-aware of his surroundings. Honestly, he shouldn’t be so shocked about Draco having done what he did, but he figured he was still ignorant to the blatant feelings that his best friend was emitting. The possessiveness that Draco had in earlier years was now more prominent in his mind, the jealousy over Harry was more understood, almost everything Alice refused to pay attention to out of his own (pettiness) foolishness was now written on a sign and floating above all of London so everyone could read it.

It didn’t help Draco in the slightest.

Not that Alice didn’t like it, no, he returned it, but the following days were just too awkward and forced. The little world Draco imagined, the two of them looking for private moments so they could just snog, was shattered with the reality when Alice insisted on spending more time on his studies and Potions’ lessons, often going to Severus with questions he damn knew the answers to. Draco could have sworn he saw the dry amusement/pity in the man’s black eyes. He didn’t even want to think about that.

It was starting to get annoying, the fact that Alice was doing his best to avoid him. The only place that he couldn’t avoid was the bedroom once it was time to sleep, and even then Alice had made sure to keep a book out to take his attention off of his blonde roommate. His actions continued well on through July until Draco finally had enough of it, and thankfully the house wasn’t so big and had little to no hiding spaces.

Alice was so absorbed in his sketching that he didn’t register the door shutting, having been coloring in his sketches from the pencils that Blaise had gifted him on his birthday. He was nearly finished with part of it before the sketchbook was plucked out of his hands. Alice’s brow wrinkled and he came face to face with the offender, and suddenly, Alice registered the lack of space between the two of them.

“Calm down, I’m not going to jump you.” The blonde said irritably.

Alice gradually looked behind his shoulder and took in the closed door, “Um...well...I think I need to--”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Alice looked back at him, too aware of his surroundings. “I mean--we--there shouldn’t--”

It was too soon. Yep. The longer Alice babbled on the more Draco realized how presumptuous he had been. He sighed heavily and stepped back, “Do me a favor.”

Alice stopped, his mouth shutting as he watched his friend blankly, noting that Draco was backing away from him. “Depends on the favor.”

Draco sat on his bed, looking slightly disgruntled, “Forget it happened, the kiss. Ever since it happened you’ve done your best to avoid me and given how many rooms the house has that’s not really an easy task. I intend on going to Hogwarts without you trying to avoid me in a _castle_.”

Alice was still quiet, watching him. “You’re asking me to forget that.” He repeated. “Me, the one with a photographic memory.”

“I bloody well know what I’m asking you!” He almost shouted, “Ever since then you’ve been out-of-sorts and it’s driving me mad!”

Alice took a moment, recollecting the previous two weeks and how much of an asshole he had been to his best friend over a simple gesture. But it really wasn’t a simple gesture, was it? Ever since it happened it’s been on repeat inside of his own head, everything about it. Every detail. Draco’s action and his own spontaneous reaction. His stupid reaction that he thought back to and regretted because...fuck. Why did he even kiss Draco back? What possessed him to do that? He’d been trying to figure out everything and trying to analyze the sudden abrupt feelings that began to grow from the memory. Even so, Draco had a point. If this continued well on into their fifth year, then their friends would possibly start to say something and perhaps Pansy and Blaise would try to do something about it. Heaven knows he doesn’t want Pansy more involved in his personal affairs. For all intents and purposes he had to pretend it never happened so they could get back into a state of normality.

It sounded better to just pretend it never happened, because trying to avoid him was getting exhausting and he had a feeling that Severus was starting to be annoyed by his godson’s inability to face his own fears.

Not that he was afraid of Draco’s feelings towards him. No, not at all. He didn’t feel scared. He was Alice Blackwood, he entered a deadly tournament to be petty over his dead parent. He faced the rebirth of the Dark Lord and survived it. He wasn’t scared of pretty much anything.

Except the blossoming of emotions.

Okay, maybe he was afraid of _something_.

He was at least happy that Draco wasn’t as schooled in his features as his father was. The apprehension was plain on his face, the worry. There wasn’t any guilt, and Draco didn’t apologize for what he had done. But then, Malfoys don’t apologize for anything.

Alice sighed eventually, giving his friend a half-smile. “Nothing ever happened.”

* * *

Draco went with Alice onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, neither of them expected to run into Draco’s father, since he was now surrounded by Voldemort nearly 24/7. Though, there he was, standing near the port-key room, Narcissa at his side.

Upon first look it was almost easy to miss, but Alice took in Narcissa’s features. She looked tired and stressed beyond her well-schooled outer appearance. He felt sorry for her at once, the witch probably didn’t like Voldemort being there at all and was doing her best to abide by the rules. Lucius was better with hiding his own features but the slightly dark bags under his eyes was something he could spot out right away upon Lucius’s pale complexion. If it were anyone but Alice looking for these tells, then they wouldn’t have noticed a thing.

He joined Draco in approaching the Malfoys, given that Severus had already headed to Hogwarts. They had made it here by hailing the Knight Bus. Alice was at least happy that the awkwardness between him and Draco had lowered considerably.

“Draco.” Lucius greeted his son in the only manner befitting of a Malfoy. Even if the man radiated coldness, Alice could feel warmth deep inside of it. Lucius was happy to see his son, and so was Narcissa. Alice followed, stopping before Narcissa and catching her smiling gratefully at him.

“Thank you so much for looking after Draco.” She spoke in a quiet voice. “I’m pleased that my son has you.”

Alice couldn’t help the pink that tinged his cheeks, “Draco was...pleasant to be around.” He said, glancing over at his friend. Draco met his wandering eyes but didn’t give anything away.

“Alice lives like a troll.” Draco blurted out abruptly, and Alice sputtered and smacked his arm.

“Shut it you haughty perfectionist.” He snapped back.

Draco smiled smoothly, “Oh, I’m sorry, forgive me. Trolls are more orderly than you are.”

Narcissa giggled behind her hand at the banter, nudging Lucius slightly until her husband looked at her. He set his lips in a firm line and shook his head, mumbling “Not at this moment in time”, it was so quiet that Draco couldn’t register it, but Alice caught it. Though, he didn’t press on the matter, allowing Draco to spend time with his parents.

Alice looked away for a while, taking in the rest of the crowd. The nameless and faceless people were now vaguely recognizable, with names that he had acquired from his two years at Hogwarts. He spotted the telltale fiery orange hair belonging to the Weasley family, who stood out like beacons, along with a fair few others that he did not recognize, except for the dog. The dog was way too familiar, sitting at Harry’s feet when Alice finally noticed the black-haired boy next to Weasley and his brothers.

He frowned, wishing he could just walk over to Harry and try and apologize for what he did in the Graveyard, but given who was surrounding him, and who Alice was currently with, it wouldn’t go well for either party. The two boys were on opposite sides of the coin, Gryffindor and Slytherin, two sides that weren’t ever to join together in any symballance of civility. Alice kept watching Harry for so long that Harry finally felt the eyes on him, his head turning to spot Alice on the other end of the platform. His face was unreadable at the moment before he glared slightly, the dog at his feet becoming alert to Alice as well and making a threatening stance before Harry told it to heel.

Alice looked away then, just as Draco and his parents decided to part ways. Draco didn’t notice what Alice had been looking at, pulling his friend along to the train.

“We’re going to be separated for a while,” Draco informed him, the prefect’s badge on his cloak telling Alice all he needed to know. “Pansy and I are going up to the prefect’s carriage.”

Two years ago Alice didn’t even know what a prefect was, but he nodded anyway. “I guess I’m stuck with Blaise and Theo. I guess Blaise will be my best friend now that you’re a prefect.” He grinned slightly and Draco shoved him.

“I’m irreplaceable and you know it.” He said haughtily before leaving Alice’s side.

The boy watched Draco leave and sighed, beginning the arduous task of finding a compartment. He had two options, one with his other friends or one by himself - if he could find it. While he wouldn’t mind sitting with Blaise and Theo and the others, he deserved some alone time. Merlin knows he hadn’t been alone in a month and he needed time to breathe before being thrust into the bustling Hogwarts castle again, where privacy was lost.

He managed to find a lonely compartment and breathed a sigh of relief, putting his bag up onto the carry above him and sitting down, stretching his legs for a moment. He ran a hand through his hair, noting that it was now down to his shoulders. Instantly he fished into his pockets for some hair ties and went about to restrict his free falling hair, taking the moment of silence to let his mind wander.

Though his mind didn’t wander for long, as the door opened instantly and Alice jumped, startled, before staring at the one at the door. Him and Harry stared at each other for a while, until Harry went to pull away.

“Blackwood.” He said in a clipped voice.

“Wait.” Alice’s voice stopped Harry in his tracks, and Alice stood up. “I’ve been trying to contact you through that journal.”

Harry had bristled when Alice stopped him, and only to clear the corridor for the other students he decided to step back into the compartment. “I have nothing to say to you, Blackwood.”

Alice sighed, he was back on a last name basis. “Harry--”

“Potter.”

“Potter,” Alice folded his arms, “You’re acting like I did it on purpose. I had no choice, you know.”

“We both know what you did and didn’t do on that night.” Harry bit out, “You think I’m upset about you using the Cruciatus? You had every opportunity to save me from Pettigrew but all you did was sit behind that gravestone and cower like a child!”

Alice glared at him, “Did you or did you not hear the killing curse being thrown my way?”

Harry sneered, “You had ample chance to stop any of that from happening, Blackwood! I know how you are with spells. I know how good you are at Defense, don’t tell me that you had a good excuse for staying out of the way like a good little Junior Death Eater.”

That comment had Alice pausing, “What--?”

“I was there too, remember? You were saved by a Death Eater, Malfoy to be exact. I was also there when Voldemort mentioned your _godfather_. You and Malfoy are just perfect for eachother, two Jr. Death Eaters in training!” He spat.

The accusation was making Alice angry and defensive, “You’re quick to assume anything, are you? I didn’t want to be killed, okay? That’s why I stayed behind the gravestone.”

“Oh yeah, great show of Slytherin cowardice.”

“Well I’m not exactly a Gryffindor, am I?” Alice shouted back, “I believe that’s your trait. Here I am trying to fucking apologize to you for putting you under the Cruciatus and you’re insulting me and calling me a Death Eater. Do you really think I’m Voldemort’s closest companion?”

“He seemed to like you a whole lot more than me.” Harry grated out.

“Harry, do you understand that both of us were in danger that night? Not only you, but me as well. I barely made it out of getting killed. If my reflexes weren’t so on point, I would be fucking _dead_. As for everything else, what did you expect me to do? I’m not a Gryffindor! I don’t bleed bravery like you do! I did my best to stay alive, and if that meant being forced to torture you then would you rather I say no and get killed? Did you want my death on your conscience?”

Harry’s ire seemed to drain slightly, “I didn’t--”

“What would you be doing if I died that night? That cup wasn’t meant for me, it was meant for you. Voldemort wanted you. Voldemort could have easily killed me! That simpering rat man could have killed me! Would you feel so good knowing that only you got out and not both of us?”

Harry wilted instantly, “No…”

“The situation didn’t give us a chance to fight back, Harry.” Alice said in a lower voice, “We did what we had to to survive. Hating me for something that was beyond my control isn’t going to make it any better.” He finally relaxed a little, watching Harry sort through his emotions. The other boy seemed like he was ready to start a fight, but the longer he thought about it the less hateful he looked. Harry frowned anyway.

“What about the Daily Prophet?” He asked then.

Alice also frowned. “What about it?”

“You had a chance to tell them that Voldemort had come back, but the only one who told them was me, and I’m being marked as a nutter because of it. You never told your side of the story.”

Alice winced slightly. He had a point right there. “Harry, the Daily Prophet is a shit paper, Draco told me that himself. You remember having to deal with Rita Skeeter last year, and so do I. Anything we would say to them would be construed as bullshit.”

“That’s the thing, Alice.” Harry stared at him hard, “You never said anything. You never backed me up. You never gave them a chance to figure out that I was telling the truth.”

With that, Harry finally left the compartment. Alice sighed and sat back down, running his hands through his hair.

This wasn’t how he wanted the year to start. 

* * *

  
  


The following dinner the school was introduced to a new Defense professor, a pink nightmare of a woman. At least, that’s what Alice thought. She looked sketchy at the very best, and since the woman came straight from the Ministry then the suspicion was right on the nose. Really, someone that _pink_ couldn’t be a pleasant person.

“Father told me that Umbridge used to be a Slytherin.” Draco said in his ear. “I’m sure she’ll give us special treatment.”

“I’m not really looking for special treatment.” Alice frowned, “She makes herself sound pleasant but her face reflects something else.” Not that he wanted to stare at her face, it looked almost like a toad.

Pansy wasn’t staring at Umbridge, or listening to her speech, her attention on Alice. She made a face at him and finally looked away. Alice frowned, looking Pansy’s way and just about to make a comment before he decided not to. He didn’t really feel like finding out what unsettled her so much, not after his fallout with Harry. He let the subject slide, more interested in sleeping after they had returned to their common room.

The next day he was treated to Potions with his favorite professor, which really, he was a bit biased when Alice lived under the man’s roof. Their assignment was to prepare them for OWLs, which consisted of making the Draught of Peace. Alice gave his godfather a nervous look, directing his eyes back down to the potion until the man met him with a determined stare, as if reassuring him in his own way that Alice was able to do this.

Really, Alice had been brewing potions for two summers in order to get better at it, and given his caretaker’s special tricks and amazing tutelage, he didn’t feel like he did when it was his third year, when he nearly blew up cauldrons to the point of being the Slytherin version of Neville Longbottom. He made sure to put the ingredients and his book in a specific order, levitating his book while others simply let it lie flat. The Draught of Peace was...difficult, given that it was an advanced potion. Alice had to make sure to tune everyone out as he did his best to concentrate. Time blurred once he started, the potion becoming a vast array of colors with the powdered moonstone, hellebore syrup, and porcupine quills added. He knew he would get confused and made sure to put small marks on the instructions to tell him where he was. Eventually, he was met with a silver vapor and a finished potion. Alice’s focus left and soon he could hear his surroundings, the bickering of his classmates and curses from the Gryffindor side, snickers and exclamations. He looked to Draco and noticed that his potion was perfect, as it always was. Draco, however, was looking at Alice’s potion with a very insulting state of awe that Alice found annoying instantly.

“You actually did it, and--it’s in one piece.” Draco grinned despite his awestruck voice and Alice smacked his arm.

“I’m competent you ninny.” He bit back.

“I wonder if this was just pure luck on your part.” Draco didn’t really feel like letting up.

Alice took the dropper of hellebore and threatened to toss it into his cauldron. “Keep going, Draco, I insist.”

Blaise snorted in amusement from behind them, “Stop being catty, you two.”

Alice opened his mouth to retort but Severus had managed to steal his attention back, the man having come to inspect the cauldrons. He didn’t even look at Draco’s for more than one second.

“Outstanding as always.” He said, inwardly bracing himself when it came to Alice’s cauldron. Alice noticed the tension in the man’s shoulders and felt some dry humor. With his (lack of) talents, of course people would be deathly amazed that he had done something right. He waited patiently as Severus appraised his potion.

“I see that my tutoring has finally bore fruit.” He commented without any hint of emotion, “Exceeds Expectations.” With that he left, and Alice felt winded. He couldn’t fight back the pleased grin on his face as he inwardly pat himself on the back for the job he succeeded in doing.

Across the room, on the other hand, Harry had done less than satisfactory. In fact, Severus vanished the potion entirely, deeming it useless. Draco couldn’t fight the laugh that threatened to escape him along with the rest of their friends, but Alice wasn’t really laughing. Really, he couldn’t find any amusement in Harry’s follies when Alice had been in his shoes for at least four years. All he needed was some help…

Alice looked at Draco quickly, almost raising his hand before catching himself and lowering it, before doubling down on his convictions and raising his hand again right as Severus was announcing the homework. “Professor!” He said before everyone had gotten up.

Severus, and a few others, turned their attention to Alice. “Yes, Mr. Blackwood?”

Alice felt under the proverbial spotlight suddenly, and he lowered his arm slightly. “May I speak to you...in private?” He offered, all to aware of the eyes that were on him.

Severus gave him a curt nod, scowling at everyone to get back to what they were doing. Draco had filled a vial of his own potion but still couldn’t stop looking at Alice as if he grew two heads. “What do you need?”

Alice filled his own vial, smiling reassuringly, “I’ll tell you later. Meet me in the great hall, I might take a while.”

Draco looked concerned but at Alice’s insistence he gave up. The two boys parted ways once everything was clean and gone. The noirette made his way into Severus’s office, relieved that Draco wasn’t here to hear him suggest something this wild.

Severus had joined him a moment later, “Do we need privacy?” He questioned.

“It’s not that dire.” Alice said honestly, “Severus, is there a possible way that Harry Potter can get the same tutoring that I was given?”

The question was met with a dead silence, the man in front of him staring at Alice like he had just requested to murder his whole house. “Is this a joke?”

Alice sighed, “No, just, let me explain. I didn’t mean you, I meant…” He trailed off before an idea hit him, “How about this? Those that are horrible at potions, how about you assign them to be tutored by the best ones, that way perhaps they’d actually become better at it.”

“The fact that their abysmal with Potions is their own doing, Alice, you can’t expect someone like Potter or - heaven forbid - _Longbottom_ , to actually improve on their fruitless endeavors.”

“Well that’s kind of rubbish, isn’t it?” Alice frowned, one of the few students not affected by Severus’s glowers. “If that were true, then I would have been a lost cause.” He pointed out, “You put your time and effort into tutoring me in Potions and I just made a perfectly good Draught of Peace.”

Severus continued to glare at him, unnerved that Alice was going somewhere with this. However, the boy’s sudden need to see Potter succeed at his worst subject was slightly disconcerting. “Why do you even care?” He asked simply. “You and Potter aren’t in the same house, he has nothing to do with you nor you him.”

Alice took a moment to think about it. He cared because it seemed like he was being given special treatment when others could benefit from it. He cared because he owed Harry something after failing to help him. That was basically it, he owed Harry a favor.

“If it weren’t for him I’d be dead.” Alice finally said to Severus, his lips in a thin line. “He offered me the cup, he wanted _me_ to win the tournament. If I took that cup instead of telling him we could both win, I’m sure I wouldn’t have returned from that graveyard. Lucius wouldn’t have been there to save my ass.”

There was a thick silence between the two of them, and Severus hated that Alice was making him do this. The bane of his existence, the reminder of his faults, had once again, woven his way further into his life and through the one person he had no ties to whatsoever. Now his godson was intent on making sure something good happened to Potter and he was trying to get Severus to make it happen.

“What do you suggest I do?” Severus barked, he sounded agitated and impatient. The otherwise indifferent facade that he had cracking enough for Alice to realize what was happening.

“Force Draco to tutor him on Sundays.” Alice said then, “Draco’s by far the best at potions, I think he’d do some good.”

“I would assume you would partner him up with Granger.”

Alice made a face at her name, “Granger is bossy and a control-freak. She wants things done a certain way and she would become irritating quickly. Potter has a short temper. Put Longbottom with Granger.”

“A short temper and you’re wishing _Draco_ to tutor him.”

“I’ll be with them.” He said quickly, “I’ll make sure Draco and Harry won’t bite each other’s heads off. I’ll be the mediator. Draco is patient and flexible, and I keep him restrained.” Alice smirked cooly.

The mix just sounded like a terrible idea to begin with. No, Alice’s whole suggestion was a tormenting idea that would possibly end with hexes flying everywhere and possibly a classroom fire.

“This is the one and only time I’m ever going to do something like this for you.” Severus said then, as if it was a biblical commandment. “This is your first and last request of me. No more favors for _Potter_.”

“Alright.” Alice said simply, shrugging. He looked pleased with himself. Perhaps it would do Harry some good and maybe he could help Draco over his vile hatred of the boy.

Though, making them the least bit friendly to each other would take a miracle.

By the time he had returned to Draco he was met with a barrage of questions, but Alice smiled thinly and sat down beside him at the table. Pansy, again, stared straight at Alice and made a face. This time instead of ignoring it the boy looked over at Pansy, her face was grimacing like she just had smelled troll dung. “What?” He asked. “What is it now? You did the same thing last night!”

Pansy’s face went back to normal and she turned to him. “You need a haircut.” She told him bluntly.

Alice blinked, “No I don’t.”

The girl wasn’t all that convinced, “Yes you do, you look horrible.”

“I look like this every day!” Alice cried out, “The hell is wrong with my hair?”

Millicent stopped speaking with Vincent and turned their way, “She’s right, you look almost creepy.”

“I don’t know what she’s talking about.” Theodore turned his attention to Blaise, “What is she talking about?”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “ _Boys_.”

Alice mimicked Pansy’s eyeroll, “ _Girls._ ” He finally looked at Draco, who was smartly staying silent about the whole conversation. Their eyes met and Draco finally reached over to touch Alice’s hair, which to Alice felt more like a teasing caress than anything. The boy went pink instantly and looked away, making Draco grin.

“I’m tempted to find out what he would look like with shorter hair.” Draco said then, an act of betrayal on Alice’s part.

“Blaise, you’re officially my new best friend.” Alice smiled over at the darker boy, making both Blaise and Theodore cackle.

Pansy sniffed, “Once we get back to the common room, I’m going to summon a house elf to take care of it.” She promised Alice.

Alice felt like he was being bullied at the moment, folding his arms irritably.

“Actually…” Draco pulled on an amused smirk. “I’d like to try it myself.”

It wasn’t just Alice who snapped his head in his direction, so did the rest of their friends. There was a resounding silence until Millicent let out a laugh. Daphne wasn’t too far behind and then Pansy was grinning knowingly.

Alice let his head fall into the table, sighing.

* * *

  
  


It was only in Defense Against the Dark Arts that Alice’s suspicions with Professor Umbridge had come back, wiping away his current thoughts. It had started (annoyingly) simple enough, being forced to cater to the woman’s facade of politeness as if he was back in kindergarten. He remembered his years in the muggle education system before he turned ten, those women were almost as bad, but Professor Umbridge was worse, she was talking to fifteen/sixteen year olds as if they were five, reminiscent of the speech she gave last night.

Defense class had never been so dull in his life, even the counterfeit Mad-Eye Moody was more interesting than her. Though, everything seemed to take a turn when Granger began holding her hand up, waiting to be answered. He watched while others, slowly turning their heads towards her, kept their eyes on the spectacle until the witch in pink finally acknowledged her, although it was only because Granger managed to put the class at a standstill.

Then came the questions...all from Gryffindors, while the Slytherins wisely kept their mouths shut, the Gryffindors continued to ask about why they weren’t going to learn anything practical. Alice was half-tempted to join in on the small battle, as he too wanted to learn the practicals. So far his only tutelage in Defense was learning dark magic out of Severus’s private tomes.

It wasn’t until Harry began to speak again that Alice’s attention was fully on him.

“And what good’s theory going to be in the real world?” said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.

Professor Umbridge looked up.

“This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world,” she said softly.

“So we’re not supposed to be prepared for what’s waiting out there?”

“There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter.”

“Oh yeah?” said Harry. Alice could clearly see that his temper was very off-kilter. He was more angry than he was in Potions class. He could hear Draco at his side, chuckling.

“Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?” inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

“Hmm, let’s think...” said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, “maybe _Lord Voldemort_?”

There was a mix of reactions at the mention of the name. Some screamed and others gasped, the Slytherins stayed exceptionally quiet but Alice knew they were wincing. He himself gave nothing away, still keeping his eyes on what was transpiring.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter.”

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry.

“Now, let me make a few things quite plain.” Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned toward them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk. “You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead —”

“He wasn’t dead,” said Harry angrily, “but yeah, he’s returned!”

“Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself,” said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. “As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_.”

“It is NOT a lie!” said Harry. “I saw him. Not only me, but Blackwood had seen him too!” Harry pointed right towards Alice now, and suddenly all eyes were on Alice, wide and in shock. Alice coughed and looked down from the attention, just barely noticing Granger’s scowl.

Harry received detention after that, and the fact that Alice put his head down and avoided Harry’s words only seemed to piss him off even more.

Harry got out of his seat, heading over to him. “You’re being given a chance to prove me right, Blackwood.” He hissed out.

“Mr. Potter! Sit down!” Professor Umbridge yelled.

Harry ignored her, glaring scathingly at Alice. The other boy just met Harry’s stare with his own blank look, giving away nothing. Alice tried to convey with his eyes that Harry should sit down and shut up, before anything else happened, but Harry didn’t, turning back to Professor Umbridge again, “Alice Blackwood was there with me, you sodding cow! He and Voldemort spoke face to face!”

There was a resounding gasp from everyone in the room when Harry uttered those words, and Professor Umbridge clearly looked unsettled. Her face was blank, but Alice could clearly see the white-hot rage from the woman. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, “Come here, Mr. Potter, dear.”

Harry looked like he didn’t care anymore, he was clearly so angry that it was possessing him to do the stupidest things. Alice winced slightly as Umbridge handed him a note, doing her best not to lash out at this boy. “Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear,” said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him.

Harry took the note so fast it was like a viper strike, turning to give Alice one last scowl before storming out of the room and slamming the door in his wake. Alice winced again when the door shut with a bang, his eyes falling onto Weasley and Granger and catching their distrustful glances his way.

He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to his side, coming face to face with Draco.

“Mr. Blackwood, will you come up here please?” Came the sweet saccharine voice again, and Alice schooled himself before standing and heading over to the desk. She looked at him calmly, giving him a once over. “Is what Harry Potter said true? Did you see any evil?” She asked in a faux polite voice.

Alice knew all eyes were on him, he knew what she was doing. She was putting him under the firing squad. There was no good answer to get out of this. Either he said yes and wind up in detention with Harry and possibly ostracized from his own house, or say no and dig himself deeper into that hatred that Harry was freely giving him. Though, this woman was clearly the enemy here, in this current year. He had to lay low for appearance's sake if he needed to do anything.

“No. I didn’t see anything.” Alice said finally, noting the ugly smile that rose on Umbridge’s face.

“Thank you dear.” She said sweetly, with a conniving smile that would make Slytherin proud. “You may sit down.”

Alice turned and instantly saw Granger glaring hatefully at him, Weasley was no better.

He sat down beside Draco and tried to ignore the staring while reading his book. By the time class was over his thoughts wavered onto the request he had asked of his caretaker. The thought of trying to deal with Harry while he was like this made his gut twist. “Fuck.” He said upon leaving the classroom, looking over at Draco. “I’ll be back.” He said quickly before rushing off.

Draco looked almost bewildered, “Just what the--” He shut his mouth then, feeling Pansy’s hand on his arm as the girl watched Alice run off.

“Quite a predicament, isn’t it?” She said curiously. “Having to watch your boyfriend run off without telling you where he’s going.” A smile played at her lips while Draco’s normally pale skin picked up some color, and Draco wrenched his arm from her hand.

“He’ll come back.” He muttered.

  
  


Alice was running as fast as possible until a door opened in his path, forcing the boy to stop at a moment’s notice, and he almost slammed into the door. Though, the sight of Severus exiting the teacher’s lounge made almost face planting into a solid wooden door worth it. “Professor!” He breathed, trying to catch his breath. He shouldn’t have run so bloody fast.

Severus followed the voice to Alice and watched him bent over slightly, “What now?” He asked with a hint of irritation.

Alice looked up at him, “Everything I said earlier today, just forget it.” He said quickly, “The entire request, don’t do anything!”

The man quirked a brow, folding his arms. “And may I ask what had sparked this sudden change of heart?”

“He’s not really… in the right mood to be alone with me or Draco at this moment.” Alice frowned, “Something happened.” He met the other’s eyes, the only time he had done so when it meant the visual memory would do better than explaining it.

Severus didn’t have to see much, but he had seen enough to explain why his godson was running at breakneck speed to try and find him. However, the actions of one Harry Potter seemed to bring on a headache. He was literally poking the bull. “That boy…” He grumbled.

“Yeah.” Alice looked back when someone called his name and found his friends coming down the stairwell. He shoved his bookbag behind himself and stepped away. “I’m really sorry for this.”

At least he was apologizing for such an insane suggestion.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he parted with his caretaker, feeling Draco’s arm hook around his neck as his friend captured him. “What was that about?” The blonde questioned.

“It’s...nothing important.” Alice waved it off, catching Pansy staring at him again.

“Draco, if you don’t cut his hair by tomorrow I will personally set it on fire.” She said it like a promise.

Blaise and Theodore burst out laughing.

* * *

  
  


Alice had to wait for Draco after dinner while him and Pansy were searching for the needed materials, highly tempted in just going straight to bed and foregoing Pansy’s sudden need to groom him. He couldn’t really imagine Draco doing anything that required the slightest bit of manual labor, cutting hair included. It was a pureblood thing, wasn’t it? Such things were beneath purebloods. Not that he’d know.

It was near eight when the two returned, and Alice was too busy sketching to pay them any mind. He was vigorously using those colored pencils this year, his sketches looking a little more alive with the added color. He felt a presence above him and a girly coo as Pansy looked over his shoulder and watched Alice color in Theodore’s tie. “I’m still impressed.” She smiled, looking directly at Blaise’s likeness. “You’ve captured them perfectly.”

It was a group shot, Draco, Theodore, and Blaise, sitting along the table at the great hall in the midst of a joke Theodore was telling.

“When are you going to sketch me?” Pansy asked then with a pout. “You never sketch us girls, I’m offended.”

“Leave him alone,” Draco moved to Alice’s other side, “He doesn’t even sketch himself.”

“I have no reason to sketch myself.” Alice defended himself, “Girls also require some finesse that I never really had.”

“You should try it.” The girl pressed on, “You don’t know how it will look.”

Alice shut his sketchbook then, deciding to stop the subject. He looked up at Draco. “I think I’m here for a reason, aren’t I?”

Pansy huffed, “At least let me watch.”

“We’re going this in the boy’s bathroom,” Draco said to her, “You’ll see what I’ve done tomorrow.”

The girl looked ready to argue but something stopped her, and her demeanor changed quickly. She grinned instead and giggled to herself. “ _Have fun_.”

Alice watched her sashay back into the Girls’ dormitory, confused. “What was that about?”

“I’m not giving it any thought.” Draco picked at Alice’s sleeve, “Up.”

Alice collected his supplies and followed Draco through their dorm, depositing his pencils and sketchbook on the way, before they entered the very dark bathroom. Alice couldn’t help but smile, “Well, that looks too bad. I guess we can’t do this after all.” He turned to leave but Draco quickly got his collar, stopping him.

The blonde took out his wand and flicked it towards the windows, “ _Apricum._ ”

Whatever spell that was, it created a light that imitated the sun and filled the room with faux natural light. Alice sighed, finally turning to him. “Of course you’d know something.”

“Stop trying to get out of this.” Draco pulled him along towards a chair that had been conjured.

“I don’t see why this has to happen, it’s not even something you would do.”

Draco quirked a brow, “Not something I’d do? How do you think I manage to look this handsome?”

Alice rolled his eyes, “House elves.” He said blandly.

The assumption made Draco cringe. “Perhaps when I was a child. I don’t exactly trust them. I’ve been cutting my own hair since I was able to do so. As you can see, I do a pretty damn good job.”

Alice could see the smirk without having to look at him. He was distracting himself with his own hair. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to grow it out.” He sounded like a child who was doing his best to get out of it.

“Alice, Pansy has a point.” Draco took out a sheathed pair of golden scissors and removed them from its protection. He thumbed the blade, checking the sharpness until he was satisfied, then taking out a clean wire comb he had to scourgify with his wand, just in case. The supplies came from Professor Snape, after all. “I honestly don’t want to go into the Great Hall tomorrow and watch while Pansy sets fire to your hair, and believe me, she will do so.” He put his wand away and went to study Alice’s head, thinking of an idea of where to go.

Alice slumped in defeat before the blonde slapped his shoulder to make him righten up again. “I haven’t gotten my hair cut since the summer of my second year.” He said irritably. “It’s not really something I even think about.”

“Presentation matters in pureblood society, hadn’t your father taught you anything?”

Draco had started cutting, and Alice did his best to sit still. “You say that like I was brought up as a pureblood. You say that like I _AM_ a--” He shut his mouth suddenly, having said something he shouldn’t have. He waited for a reply, or an outburst, but instead it was silence and the sound of cutting blades. Alice suddenly felt nervous, he had inadvertently blurted out the one thing he wasn’t supposed to even mention, and he could imagine the disgust and revulsion in his friend upon realizing that he was lied to. Though the longer it was quiet, the more Alice was becoming confused. “Why aren’t you yelling?”

“Would you prefer that?” He sounded indifferent, almost like he wasn’t surprised one bit. Alice wanted to face him but Draco was still doing what he set out to do, and moving would possibly ruin it.

“You’re taking this a little too well for my liking. Normally when one reveals that they’re not exactly pureblood to an actual pureblood, there would be more animosity.”

“You’re saying that like I haven’t known the truth at all.”

Alice blinked, taking that in.

Draco shook his head, “Alice, I’m not stupid. Everything you tell me about your family makes it pretty obvious. You lived in a strictly muggle city. You weren’t brought up with any pureblood etiquette at all. You were born at a muggle _‘rock concert’_. You grew up in rags.”

“Hey. Weasley is poor and he’s a pureblood.” Alice said defensively.

“Weasley is poor because his mother had popped out more children than she could count and his father works in the lowest recesses of the Ministry. Traditional pureblood families have two children at the most. You’re an only child.”

Draco was saying everything so matter-of-factly that it was becoming less difficult to believe that he knew the truth. When the blonde had moved to take care of the side of his head Alice glanced at him worriedly. “Shouldn’t you be angry that I hid this from you?”

“Something tells me you didn’t do this just for shites and giggles, Alice. No one hides their bloodline unless there’s a pretty good reason.”

Alice shifted uncomfortably until Draco smacked his shoulder to keep him still. “It...kinda was for a good reason.” He said after a moment of silence. “It sounded better than admitting that my father was a blood traitor and my mother was a mudblood. It sounded less… volatile.”

“Your right, that sounds just dreadful.” Draco said sympathetically, moving to his other side.

“Given who you are and what family you’re from I’d assume you’d like me less after the fact.”

“I would have if I found out during third year.” Draco said honestly, checking the length of one side to mirror the other. “We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well beyond that. You’re too good of a friend to dump aside just because your parents were abhorrent. You’re anything but.” He finally smirked at Alice, “You’re stuck with me, Blackwood.”

Alice didn’t know if he was really awake or not, covertly pinching his own wrist just to make sure. Draco Malfoy, one of the pureblood Elites, wasn’t about to treat him any differently or dump him after learning his biggest secret. His only secret. He didn’t believe this was happening. Though...if Draco was intelligent enough to connect the dots than he probably had enough time to brace himself for the truth, no matter what it was. Draco was probably expecting the worst possible scenario and weighing it against Alice’s worth as his friend.

If that were the case, then that incident over the summer meant he did that while knowing…

Alice was blushing suddenly, feeling all-too-aware that Draco was close to him.

“I hope you don’t have any other life changing secrets.” Draco finally told him, finishing what he was doing and stepping back to check his work. “I don’t think I’d be able to handle another.”

Alice smiled slightly. “No, this was my only one, what else did you expect?”

“Something like you’re seeing the mudblood Granger behind my back or sending Potter love letters.”

It was meant to be a joke, and Alice ended up laughing. The boy shook his head, feeling how light it felt without the excess hair. “I think if that happened you’d have my permission to send me to Saint Mungo’s.”

Draco grinned, smacking his shoulder lightly. “Go look at yourself, you hardly look like Professor Snape now.”

Alice brushed the hair off his shoulders and headed towards the mirrors, staring at himself. He looked...unrecognizable. It wasn’t something he hated, but he definitely looked a lot less like Severus. His hair was short and simple now, a tiny bit wild at the top but he figured it was because he hadn’t washed it yet. He felt Draco vanish the remaining hair from his clothes while the boy continued to stare at himself.

“Pansy’s going to flip.” Alice breathed, breaking out into a grin. “You’re fantastic.”

“Perhaps now you’ll pay attention to your appearance.” Draco commented from his side, smirking at his reflection. “As a pureblood you need to keep up appearances.”

Alice looked over at his friend, and his immaculate hair, and the grin turned into a smile. “What better way to keep up appearances by making the better looking boy look just as horrible.” He turned to Draco and immediately went for his hair, rustling it up as much as he could. The blonde ended up crying out and scrambling back to protect himself, but the damage was done. Alice began to laugh at the sight, Draco’s always perfect hair almost as messy as Harry’s. Draco looked slightly offended and brushed his hair back, “That’s the last time I ever make you look presentable, Blackwood.”

The boy mock-pouted in Draco’s direction, “You mean Drakey-Wakey won’t make me wook pwetty?”

“Enough of that.” Draco was doing his best not to smile, finally pointing to the door. “Get back to your dorm before I take off house points.”

Alice smiled widely, “Okie-dokie Mr. Pwefect.” He continued in his best cutesy voice, finally leaving. He ran his hand through his hair and chuckled to himself, realizing that it’s not going to be the last time he would do that.

Severus was wrong in third year, not all Slytherins were out for themselves.

* * *

  
  


Pansy wolf-whistled when she caught a glimpse of Alice the next morning, and while Blaise and Theodore congratulated Draco on making Alice look better, the girls were giving him new looks. Apparently Alice was attractive, unbeknownst to him, and he caught a few third-years looking his way and whispering to each other. The whispers about Alice looking ‘fanciable’ (as Daphne put it) were a breath of fresh air considering the normal whispers he was hearing ever since school began. Harry Potter wasn’t the only one being accosted with students who doubted his story. Those who knew Alice had been with him during the third task were also looking his way, and the more Alice kept his head down and denied ever being involved the more Harry looked like a crazed lunatic.

Harry didn’t seem to understand why Alice was keeping his mouth shut. He wasn’t that perceptive enough to realize that just by preaching to the masses that Voldemort was out and about he was painting a target around his back. Harry was putting unneeded attention on himself just by arguing with everyone - especially Umbridge. If Alice were in Harry’s position, and he slightly was, he wouldn’t be trying to call attention to himself. Harry didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, and because of his flapping jaw he was being demonized by the Defense professor and made into a spectacle by the Daily Prophet.

Keeping your head down was the best way to survive.

Every class the two of them shared was met with hostility. Harry never failed to glower at Alice for keeping his mouth shut, and try as he might Alice couldn’t take Harry by the robes and have a talk with him about it, as Draco was always at his side and egging Harry on with his own comments. He felt like an elastic, being pulled from opposite sides and being stretched so much that he could easily snap. He had his loyalties with Draco to think about, which meant he couldn’t take Harry anywhere private and talk to him like a sane person - though given Harry’s sudden temper, talking was possibly out of the question. But the more and more they crossed paths, the further Alice’s frustrations with the Boy Who Lived began to show.

Besides Harry, Alice also had the new workload to think about. His OWLs was something Alice never took into consideration, as the curriculum in America was broadly different. He was now setting himself up for these tests, and his skills were dependent on how well he was going to be graded. Severus expected him to pass into his NEWT Potions classes, while his other professors were constantly harping on the amount of work he had to do to ensure his passing grade. Though, with him just learning theory in Defense class, Alice was dreadfully lacking on learning the needed spells.

He considered going off into an empty classroom to practice them himself, but his absence would raise suspicion with Draco. They were together more often than not, and if he were missing consistently for an hour each day the blonde would take notice. Then, he considered bringing the rest of his friends in on the plot, but that also had consequences. If they were to get caught by the wrong person, then all of them would get in trouble for it. Alice would be the blame, and everyone would look at him sideways. The last thing he wanted was to bring them all down just because he didn’t agree with the lack of practical in Defense class.

He had to do it on his own, and he knew just when. He had to do it while Draco and Pansy were out on Prefect duty, which gave him an hour to work with. It sounded plausible, and if something happened, he would be the only one getting in trouble for it. Though, if it were anyone but Severus finding him out, then he had to worry. Doubly so if it were the Pink Terror. By the time he had thought out his entire process, a week had passed and he was back in Defense class once again, watching with a schooled expression while Granger continued to question the class curriculum.

“She’s insufferable.” Alice said under his breath.

Malfoy only watched on, studiously keeping quiet and enjoying the show, especially when Harry caught another detention.

Lunch passed by quickly, the main event being Angelina Johnson screaming at Harry because he had sabotaged Gryffindor’s quidditch practices with his own big mouth.

“Aw, such a shame.” Draco said in faux sympathy.

Alice wanted to find any humor in all of this, but it was getting hard to laugh at any of it. “Aren’t you just the least bit sympathetic?” He finally asked, looking at his friend. “He’s being treated unfairly.”

Draco wrinkled his nose at the thought of being _sympathetic_ towards Harry Potter. “Why would I be sympathetic over him? He’s the cause of all of his problems. If he would’ve learnt to keep his mouth shut then perhaps he would wisen up.”

“Umbridge has it out for him because he knows the truth. The Ministry is trying to play him off like a fool, and he’s being ostracized for it. I’m sorry, Draco, but I honestly feel bad for him...it’s mostly my fault.”

Draco frowned, “Would you rather be the topic of tawdry gossip and made to look like an utter loon? You’re doing the right thing, Alice, you’re keeping yourself under the radar. Potter should be doing the same thing, but he isn’t. He’s willingly made himself a pariah over his own stubborn idiocy. Why should I feel sorry for someone who won’t see the side of reason?” He smirked after a while, “It’s fun to watch, actually. His name doesn’t mean shite anymore and no one sees him as the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Even Dumbledore’s abandoned him.”

Alice thought about it, settling his chin in his hands. It was true, and if Alice had publicly put himself in Harry’s camp then he would get the same treatment. It didn’t make up for the fact that Harry didn’t deserve any of this, however. He wanted to speak up, but he knew if he did then everything would go to crap.

Harry needed to know that Alice wasn’t keeping quiet just to make him look bad. He quickly thought about the journal, wondering where he had placed it. He thought about it for the next class, realizing that it was inside his trunk.

He kept thinking about Harry even into Care of Magical Creatures, in which Umbridge was there to skulk Professor Grubbly-Plank, asking questions and making notes on her clipboard. Alice’s brows furrowed. If she was here taking notes on other Professors, then who was teaching her Defense classes? How was this woman doing her job?

After a moment she found herself near the Slytherins, taking in Gregory’s presence, “Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?” She questioned, looking at the boy inquisitively.

Draco didn’t skip a beat, “Actually, it was my friend, here.” He put his hand on Alice’s shoulder, and suddenly Umbridge was watching him with curiosity. “He was slashed by a hippogriff.”

“A hippogriff?” said Professor Umbridge, now scribbling frantically.

Alice shook his shoulder from Draco’s grasp, knowing Harry’s eyes were on him now. “It wasn’t the hippogriff’s fault.” He said defensively, bringing Umbridge to a stop. Alice forced a smile, elbowing Draco’s side. “I was protecting Draco because he provoked it.”

“It still attacked you, though, didn’t it?” Umbridge assessed, eyeing him steadily.

Alice’s chest was burning from Harry’s intense stare, and Alice frowned. His eyes flickered over to Harry and took note of something that wasn’t there before, the scar on his hand. Alice’s eyes flashed in recognition and he schooled his features. “Wouldn’t you attack someone if they provoked you?” He asked then, noticing Harry’s eyebrows raise.

Umbridge met the question with a purse of the lips, scribbling down a note before moving on. “Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank, I think that’s all I need here. You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days.”

“Jolly good,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and Professor Umbridge had stalked off.

Alice and Harry caught each other’s eyes and Alice deftly dug his hand into his bag and took out his sketchbook, pointing to it. The gesture was met with a curt nod and Harry turned back to his friends. Granger congratulated him on not making an outburst. The rest of the class had continued, and Alice managed to sit aside, pretending to be sketching. Instead, he was furiously writing a note.

_I have valid reasons for not telling anyone that you are right about Voldemort. If you wish to hear them I implore you to find Draco’s journal and allow me to speak my side. Please, Harry._

Alice folded the paper after that, making more folds until the piece of paper was in the shape of a plane. He tapped his wand to it and sent it flying at Harry’s head. Draco was snickering from his side, only having noticed Alice’s paper fly. Harry caught it with his fist and looked accusingly back at Alice, glaring once again.

_Unfold it._ Alice thought quietly, making a gesture with his hands. It took a moment for Harry to understand what he meant before he opened up the paper, giving the note a twice-over.

“What’s it say, Harry?” Weasley asked quietly. “Do I need to hex Blackwood?”

“Oh, Harry, don’t. You can’t risk another detention!” Granger admonished.

Harry folded up the paper and shoved it into his pocket before either of them got a good look at it. “It’s nothing.” He lied, trying to think of what Alice’s reasons could be.

* * *

_“I haven’t been agreeing with you or saying anything because I’ve seen what happens when you do. I understand you wish to have everyone informed and alert but given who I am and the company I keep that’s not a clear and concise option for me. I also have this heavy suspicion that Umbridge is more than sketchy, she is a full-blown danger waiting to happen and my instincts are always right. If you give me the chance to make it up to you then I will do anything within my power to help you. I just can’t say anything outright.”_

It was two weeks after finding the journal that was found at the bottom of his trunk. He wanted to reply to Alice but he couldn’t bring himself to. He had been angry with Alice ever since the start of summer, but he also knew that Alice was the key to proving him right. Eventually he broke down and tried to get his friends’ opinions.

“I don’t trust him.” Ron said immediately after Harry relayed the message.

Harry frowned and looked to Hermione, wanting her opinion on the matter.

The witch had her lips pursed, mulling over the confession. “He’s being a Slytherin.” She surmised. “He’s doing his best to keep his head down and not attract attention. Self-preservation.”

That didn’t help him either, but Harry was still angry at the fact that all of this could have been avoided if Alice had opened his mouth to begin with. “At least he knows not to trust Umbridge.” He said then, idly feeling the scar on his hand.

“Harry.” Ron picked up the journal, “Blackwood is in with Malfoy. It could be a misdirection or he’s trying to lull you into a false sense of security. He’s still a Slytherin.”

“He hasn’t done anything against us, though.” Harry stated, “The only transgression he’s done so far is being a complete coward.”

Hermione had snatched the journal from Ron and stared at the message. “He’s offering to right his wrongs, should we put him under a test just to be sure he’s being sincere?” She rolled her wand between her fingers with her free hand, the gears in her head already turning.

“Like what?” Ron scowled, before an idea popped into his head. The scowl was instantly gone and he grinned. “I know! Make him do an unbreakable vow!”

Hermione looked abhorred at the suggestion, “Breaking that results in death, Ronald!”

Ron shrugged, “So? We’d win either way.”

Harry sighed, running his hands through his hair. He didn’t know what to do. He still blamed Alice for everything but at the same time they needed him. His words would prove it to many that he isn’t crazy. When he looked back at Hermione her wand-hand was replaced with a quill, and she was writing something inside the journal. Harry froze, “Hermione, what did you write?”

“I’m giving Blackwood a test.” She told him, shutting the journal. “If he fails to show up then we know he’s not sincere, but if he shows up but still fails then he’s going to be punished for it.” Her eyes seemed to glitter ominously, “We will know by then whether or not he’s to be given a second chance.”

Harry reached over to the journal and opened it, looking at the words.

_Hog’s Head, Saturday Oct. 5th, come alone._

* * *

  
  


Saturday, October 5th was a Hogsmeade Weekend. Alice was instantly on-edge. He would need to construe a good excuse to be away from Draco, and evading the blonde wasn’t as easy when he was at your side at almost every hour of the day. He ran his hands through his hair nervously, something that he had taken into doing more often. He put on a cloak and then took it off, replacing it with a coat, before replacing that with the cloak again. He needed a clear excuse to avoid Draco.

“You’re going to make us late.” Draco said from his bed, watching Alice be indecisive about his appearance. He finally got to his feet and strode over to him, taking the coat away from his arms before he could try again and tossing it aside. Alice was unable to bat him away, narrowing his eyes at the blonde while Draco pulled his cloak over his shoulders and took his time into fastening the clasp in the front. “What are you so jumpy for?” He murmured, settling his hand on Alice’s chest.

The boy had an idea that his heart rate was elevated and it was an obvious tell, but the feeling of Draco’s hand on his chest felt burning and made his cheeks pink. He stepped away then, waving him along. “Nothing, let’s just go.”

Draco couldn’t stop looking at Alice every now and then as they made their way up to the great hall. “Are you planning something?” He questioned then.

Alice schooled his features as best as possible. “Perhaps.” He flashed Draco a grin, looking back at him. “It’s October, isn’t it?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, December is almost near, and if we’re going to Hogsmeade then I should be looking for your Christmas gift.” The idea formed in his head as he kept putting words together, and Alice relaxed somewhat. “I’m going to need a few hours to myself, if you don’t mind.”

Draco quirked a brow, “You, buying me a gift this year? You usually make them yourself.” And he cherished every one of them.

“I have all those galleons from the Triwizard Tournament.” Alice said quickly, “Why can’t I buy something this time around?”

It became silent for a moment as Draco thought it over, and they made their way into the great hall. The rest of their friends were already there. Gregory and Vincent were in the midst of a heated debate - which made him wonder what a debate would be with those two, while Daphne and Pansy were whispering conspiringly to each other. Draco broke away from Alice and tapped Theodore on the shoulder, silently telling him to scoot aside and give him room.

“Great, you’re here. We’re thinking of hitting Honeydukes first.” Blaise grinned, “Possibly goad Alice to buy us enough candy for a week.”

“Your teeth will rot.” Alice stated, sitting across from them. Pansy grinned and turned his way.

“Hello there, _handsome_.” She winked, both her and Daphne breaking into giggles.

Alice brushed off the comment, “I shouldn’t have let Draco cut my hair.”

“Why not?” Theodore smirked. “You are now in the Eligible Bachelor Club of Slytherin.” He gestured to Draco and himself, “Now that Blaise has a girlfriend we’ve been looking for a replacement.”

“I would assume that you’re the _only_ member of the Eligible Bachelor Club of Slytherin.” Millicent spoke up, glancing at both Alice and Draco.

Alice cleared his throat while Draco busied himself with an apple, both of them slightly pink from the insinuation.

“Oh please,” Pansy caught their reactions, “You’re practically a couple already.”

“Pansy!” Blaise hissed out, “Don’t force it.”

“Force it?” Alice’s jaw dropped slightly, “Force what?”

Pansy pouted at her boyfriend and kept her mouth shut, and Alice distracted himself with a slice of toast.

Eventually it was time for everyone to line up, and Alice caught sight of Harry and his friends. Harry wasn’t glaring at him anymore these days, although he still looked pensive about Alice as a whole. Granger just stared at him in thoughtfully while Weasley avoided him altogether.

Nearing Hogsmeade, Alice decided to part ways with Draco. “Alright, I’ll meet you at The Three Broomsticks.” He said aloud for everyone to hear.

“Where’re you going?” Theodore asked accusingly before Draco smacked his chest.

“Leave it, let’s go to Honeydukes.” The blonde said it like a command, and Alice realized that he was holding his breath the entire time they were there. Alice quietly made his way down an opposite street and made sure to take an alleyway to make sure he wasn’t seen. He stopped midway, seeing the many students that were hurrying into the Hog’s Head across the street. He counted at least twenty-six people that had filtered into the building and his breath stilled.

_What was going on?_ He asked himself, feeling the air constrict around him. He hesitated for a moment before pulling up his hood and making his way out of the alleyway, standing at the door for at least three minutes before gathering his strength and entering.

It looked nearly empty at first glance, the owner giving him a once-over before gesturing to the back room. Alice could feel his heart pounding in his chest, slowly moving towards the back, stopping near the wall to listen.

“--well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands.” Granger spoke. There was a pause and soon she continued, “And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells —”

“You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL too though, I bet?” said a boy whom Alice didn’t recognize.

“Of course I do,” said Granger at once. “But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because… because…” She took a great breath and finished, “Because Lord Voldemort’s back.”

The reaction was immediate and predictable. A girl shrieked and spilled something, people were possibly giving visible grimaces or twitches, and Longbottom made an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. Alice took a steady breath and shut his eyes. “ _Son of a bitch_.” He muttered.

_Harry Fucking Potter why did you bring me here?_

“Well… that’s the plan anyway,” said Hermione. “If you want to join us, we need to decide how we’re going to —”

“Where’s the proof You-Know-Who’s back?” said a blond Hufflepuff in a rather aggressive voice.

“Well, Dumbledore believes it —” Hermione began.

“You mean, Dumbledore believes _him_ ,” said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.

“Who are you?” said Ron rather rudely.

“Zacharias Smith,” said the boy, “and I think we’ve got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who’s back.”

“Because he is.”

Hermione, Harry and Ron’s eyes darted over to the voice and saw it, the hooded figure making his way forward. Alice was unmistakable through the hood but he kept it up just in case. His appearance had everyone on-edge immediately. Some of them gasped and others went for their wands, Fred and George included. Alice immediately went for his.

“Wait.” Hermione’s voice was strong, halting anything from happening. “It’s okay.” She told them.

“What’re you getting at?” Cried out Fred. “He’s a Slytherin!”

“And I _invited_ him here.” Hermione said tightly, giving everyone a hard stare. “Put away your wands.”

Alice watched as they did, and he slid his back up his sleeve. He looked over at Hermione and tried a faint smile, “Thanks.”

Hermione’s hard stare didn’t back down, her eyes trained on Alice’s, “Well, tell them.”

Harry could feel his heartbeat in his ears, watching as Alice addressed the students that were there.

“Harry is right.” Alice stated after some hesitation. “He had always been right. Voldemort is back and I was there.” He pointed over to Harry, “He forced me to put Harry under the Cruciatus.” His voice didn’t waver, watching as the Twins looked over at Harry sympathetically. “He forced Harry to duel with him, and he nearly died. You might not believe Harry, but damn it all, if you continue to doubt him then you’re absolutely stupid.”

Zacharias Smith glared slightly before folding his arms.

Alice met Harry’s eyes, “You’re forming a Defense class, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Harry nodded, “Why?”

“You’re not the only one hindered by Umbridge’s lack of practicals. I’ve been practicing in an abandoned classroom for at least two weeks.”

“ _Oh no!_ ” Ron piped up, “We’re not inviting him to--”

Hermione cut him off, “I had a feeling you’d be learning in secret.” She said instantly, “You’ve always been good at Defense, just as good as Harry.”

Alice smirked, “Yeah, but unlike Harry, I also have been practicing spells that Hogwarts doesn’t teach.”

Harry tensed up a bit at the comment, but their conversation was stopped when a girl raised her hand, a blonde Hufflepuff with a braid. 

“Is it true, that you can produce a Patronus?” She directed it towards Harry.

There was a murmur of interest around the group at this, and Alice had stepped back along with the crowd, though some students distanced themselves from him.

“Yeah,” said Harry slightly defensively.

“A corporeal Patronus?”

The phrase stirred something in Harry’s memory.

“Er — you don’t know Madam Bones, do you?” he asked.

The girl smiled.

“She’s my auntie,” she said. “I’m Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So — is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?”

“Yes,” said Harry.

“Blimey, Harry!” said Lee, looking deeply impressed. “I never knew that!”

“And you!”

Alice went still, looking around and spotting another blonde Hufflepuff - Ernie MacMillian. He was watching Alice intently. “We all watched you duel Harry last year, and you knew spells we never learned yet. You know advanced spells and some we never even heard of.”

He took hold of his arm, finding Hermione’s face again and seeing that she was concentrated in deep thought. He looked away and back to the boy, “Yeah, I know my fare share of hexes and curses.”

“We know you.” A petite Ravenclaw with black hair said suddenly, Cho Chang, Alice remembered. At her side was Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff’s seeker. “You’ve been rumored as the most observant person in Hogwarts. You read people easily.”

Murmurs erupted in the room and Alice shrugged lightly, “It’s not like I attempt to hide it.”

“ _He knows everyone’s secrets_.” Lavender Brown whispered.

“Can _you_ cast a corporeal Patronus?” Susan Bones asked.

Alice shook his head, “I haven’t attempted to do so yet.”

Susan looked unimpressed, frowning.

“What Blackwood means is,” Hermione spoke up suddenly, “He’s as vastly skilled as Harry, and both of them know what they’re doing. Are we agreed to take lessons from both of them?”

Ron and Alice jumped from the words, both of them looking right at her.

“ _Him?_ ”

“ _Me?_ ” He cried out, “I was only told to come here, what are you roping me into?”

“You asked to make up for what you have done, did you not?” Hermione asked wryly, “You and Harry know the truth, and you both are quite talented at what you do, so it’s both of you that must work together to get us prepared for the worst.”

Alice glared at the witch, realizing that he had no way of backing out of this. He had witnesses that knew the truth from his mouth, and the more he glared at Hermione the more she met his glare with her own daring smirk.

It was all a blur after that, soon they were talking about dates and times to meet and then talking about Umbridge, and soon they were all signing a parchment, which Alice knew was an agreement. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had jinxed it. By the time everyone had let themselves out Alice was alone with the Golden Trio, his arms folded and watching Hermione hold the quill in his direction.

“What?” He barked.

“Your turn to sign, Blackwood.” She told him. “We need to ensure that no one finds out, not even Malfoy or the rest of your lot.”

“How do you expect me to avoid him for an hour a week?” Alice took a step forward, “If you don’t realize, he keeps a good eye on me. I had to tell him I was searching for a Christmas present in order to get here.”

“You’ve been doing well so far if you’ve been practicing behind his back.” Hermione kept the quill pointed at him.

“That’s because I train while he’s out patrolling!”

“If you don’t agree to do this then there’s a punishment.” Hermione told him stiffly.

“Mione don’t tell him!” Ron hissed out.

“You really don’t want me to become vindictive but if I have to then I won’t hesitate.” She told him hotly, “You can read people, Blackwood, do you suspect me to be lying?”

“Hermione.” Harry looked at her then, “Don’t force him to do it. It was enough that he came here and proved to everyone that I was right.”

Alice unfolded his arms, watching Hermione steadily. Something about her posture had him alert, and the way she was holding her wand in her hand, gripping it tight. “You plan to obliviate me if I decide to refuse.” He said bluntly, taking in her slight shock and the way she sharply inhaled.

“Blimey, he really does read people.” Ron said in awe. “I assumed it was a load of rubbish.”

Alice opened his mouth to say something about Ron but shut it, deciding not to. He didn’t want to upset the ginger. He continued to step forward and soon the quill was in his hand and he was writing his name onto the parchment.

“Just so you know, I’m not doing this because of the threat.” He looked over at Harry, “I’m doing this because I’m _bored_.” Alice smirked cooly at Harry’s flabbergasted expression and took a step back, turning to leave the Hog’s Head entirely.

Hermione and Harry exchanged looks, while Ron stared at the signature. “Bloody hell, he really signed it, didn’t he?”

“How do you know he won’t betray us?” Harry asked suddenly, “And why are you having him teach everyone aside from me?”

Hermione took the parchment and quill and put it away, “Because he’s just as good as you, and Blackwood also an arsenal of spells on hand that you don’t know and he’s _confident_ about his skill. We all saw you two on that duelling platform Harry, both of you are evenly matched. Now, if you work together then we will learn enough to take down Voldemort’s Death Eaters.”

“You didn’t answer my first question.” Harry pressed, frowning.

“Oh, Harry.” Hermione smiled at him, “You’re acting like I don’t know what I’m doing. If Blackwood tells anyone, especially Malfoy, then he’s going to be punished for it.”

Ron and Harry were unnerved at the smile, looking at each other and deciding not to say anything more. 

  
  


The following Monday was met with a notice on the common-room board, Draco and Alice reading it quietly while the latter of the two rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

* * *

  
  


_— BY ORDER OF —_

_THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS_

_All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded._

_An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students._

_Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge)._

_No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor._

_Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with_

_Educational Decree Number Twenty-four._

_Signed:_

_Dolores Jane Umbridge_

_HIGH INQUISITOR_

  
  


“Teams, too.” Alice yawned before blinking, reading it again as the sleep drifted away. “We have Quidditch practice.” He read it a third time, realizing that what he signed up for on Saturday was now one of those banned clubs. He wondered who had told Umbridge so quickly, glad he kept his hood up inside the pub.

“Come on.” Draco nudged his shoulder, already with a plan formed in his head. “We’re going to get this overturned.”

Alice stayed quiet, his mind whirring. If their house had gotten the notice than the rest of them had as well. Was everyone else panicking? He held mixed feelings over the decision that their secret class had been stopped before it got started. For one he wasn’t passionate about it, joining was to placate Granger. On the other hand, he was slightly disappointed, as it meant his progress on learning his spells would be halted. He didn’t really enjoy having to do them after curfew. 

Draco had led them upstairs towards the Defense classroom, both of them entering knowing what they were about to do. Draco fixed on his best polite smile he reserved for professors and knocked on the office door.

“Come in.” said the sugary sweet voice. Alice had to suppress an eyeroll to that voice, it was starting to get on his nerves. Alice kept his cool indifference while he and Draco made their way inside.

Umbridge was waiting to see who entered, smiling at the sight of Draco and Alice. “Oh heavens, what do I owe the pleasure? Mister Malfoy, Mister Blackwood? Kindly take a seat.” She gestured. It was a horrendous change, her demeanor towards the two of them versus Harry and his friends. Though, she treated all of the Slytherins better than any other house. Alice idly wondered if she knew he was there in that pub.

Draco sat graciously, “Thank you madam.”

Alice joined him, “Thanks.”

Umbridge poured herself a cup of tea, thinking for a moment. “Would you two care for some tea?”

“No thank you.” Alice sighed, waiting. He didn’t want to stay here any longer than he needed to.

“Yes, please.” Draco took the offer instead, keeping his smile. He held the pleasantries of a politician, almost as good as his father.

The woman went about pouring Draco and Alice, despite the boy refusing, some tea, offering them their cups. Alice stared down at his but knew he was forced to accept the offer. Draco had been teaching him how to act like a pureblood ever since their special ‘talk’. “Thank you, Professor.” The boy said tightly, picking up the cup and taking a sip. It was overly sweet, just like her.

Umbridge looked pleased, “So what have you two come all the way here for?” She sipped her own tea.

“We’re actually here because of your latest Educational Decree. About the disbanding of clubs. You mentioned that we’re allowed to ask for an exemption.”

“Oh! And may I ask what club do you wish for me to allow?” She didn’t fail to stop smiling, appearing as something that she wasn’t in the slightest. So far, she hadn’t given Alice any hint that she knew.

“The Slytherin Quidditch team, Professor.” Alice set down his cup as Draco picked his own up, hiding the wince when he tasted the sweet drink. “We’re expecting to resume our practice today, and this would greatly hinder our chances to win the Quidditch cup.”

“I see.” She said daintily, “Well, I see no reason as to keep the two of you and your teammates from playing. Quidditch is a healthy, innocent, sport that I happily encourage all students to partake in. May I ask, Mister Blackwood, which position are you?”

“Chaser, ma’am.” He replied instantly.

Umbridge looked to Draco, “I already know your position, Mister Malfoy. You’re the star Seeker! I’ve heard my fair share of stories from your father. How is he fairing anyway? Is he well?”

“My father is doing just fine, Professor. You’ll see him again when Slytherin is in their next match. He never fails to miss a Slytherin match.”

“Oh goodie! I hope to have a nice discussion with him.” She looked positively excited, “Your father was a fine example of Slytherin, and you are following perfectly in his footsteps.”

Alice did his best not to yawn, and Professor Umbridge turned her attention back to him, still giving him the notion that she didn’t suspect him. “I’ve looked over your records, young man. You came here straight from America. My, what an intriguing country! The Blackwood name is just as high up as the Malfoy name in Britain. I’m not surprised that the two of you found each other.”

Of course she’d look up his surname.

“Although your given name is quite peculiar. Might I ask why your name is Alice?”

“We should go.” Alice said then with a forced smile, shutting her down, “I wish we could stay but we have to go back to the great hall. We haven’t eaten breakfast yet and you know how much growing boys need their nutrition.”

Just like that the question was forgotten, and Umbridge stood up, “Oh, yes, I shouldn’t be keeping you dears.”

Both Alice and Draco got to their feet and said their goodbyes, and once they were out of the classroom Alice let out a tired sigh and leaned against his best friend. At least he was in the clear.

“Don’t make me do that ever again.”

The two of them returned to the great hall in a mutual silence, Alice slowing his pace at the sight of Granger and the rest of the Gryffindors in on the secret club talking hastily to each other. Johnson pointed Alice out and Granger snapped her head his way, ready to strike until she looked him over. She looked almost stunned. Alice glanced at his robes and shrugged, moving to the Slytherin table and hooking an arm around Draco’s shoulder. He wasn’t even aware of how intimate he was being with the other boy, only knowing that Draco smelled nice and inviting and he wanted to take a nap in his arms.

He didn’t notice Draco’s reddened cheeks and Pansy’s knowing smirk.

* * *

  
  


The next day he was approached by Susan Bones just as he was leaving Ancient Runes, the girl providing him with information on where the secret club was going to take place. Alice’s eyes widened in shock. They were still going to go through with it! He took the information and went to find Draco. He would have to think of an excuse to leave the common room at that hour.

It took some great word work on his part, telling Draco he had to return a book to the library or else Pince would hang him by his feet. He made sure to take a book with him, and kept out of sight of Mrs. Norris and Filch whenever he saw either of them. It was a long trek to the seventh floor and eventually he caught a glimpse of the other members, making his way towards them and catching Cho Chang’s eyes. She looked surprised by his presence.

When everyone was settled, Alice was the only one without a chair to sit in, keeping himself in the back. Harry had went to lock the room and everyone went silent.

Harry was nervous, and rightly so. “Well, this is the place we’ve found for practices, and you’ve — er — obviously found it okay —”

“It’s fantastic!” said Chang, and several people murmured their agreement. Alice silently nodded his head, looking around again. It was very impressive, with everything they needed. He recognized most of the Dark Detectors, grinning at the Sneakoscopes and Foe-Glasses.

“It’s bizarre,” said Fred, frowning around at it. “We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then…”

“Hey, Harry, what’s this stuff?” asked Dean, who sat right in front of Alice. 

“Dark Detectors,” Both Harry and Alice said in unison, Harry’s mouth snapping shut and gesturing back towards Alice. The boy blinked, gesturing back to him. It was a sight, everyone’s heads turning to Alice and then Harry.

“You’re the auror of the group.” Harry grinned, still quite nervous.

“Don’t call me that, please.” Alice sighed, “Dark Detectors are used to detect lying, concealment, dark wizards or your own personal enemies. They’re useful but not reliable, you shouldn’t want to lean on them too much, they’re easily duped.” He went over to each one, describing them in detail. Everyone’s attention was directly on him, and it was strange to be focused on like that.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and — er —” Harry continued once Alice had finished, noticing a raised hand. “What, Hermione?”

“I think we ought to elect a leader,” said Hermione.

“I would reckon Harry would be the leader,” said Cedric at once without hesitation. Alice opened his mouth to agree but someone else cut in.

“I rather have Blackwood as the leader.” It was Zacharias Smith this time, earning a glare from Chang and the Weasleys.

Hermione didn’t expect that coming, and sighed, “I say we vote on it.” She said then, “Raise your hands if you wish Harry to be the leader.”

Half of the students raised their hands, and Harry couldn’t help but smile. From the looks of it, Harry was also blushing as he stared at Cho Chang… Alice chuckled a little.

“Raise your hands if you wish Alice to be the leader.”

It was a toss up, the other half of the students raising their hands, even Dean Thomas, much to Ron’s surprise. Alice forced on a smile and shook his head, stepping back. “Not to sabotage the voting, but this isn’t my idea.” He grinned, noting how Marietta Edgecombe blushed after he looked at her, she too had voted for him. “I give my vote over to Harry, as he’s the one who had the idea. I’m just here for practice.”

“Right…” Hermione trailed off, “Then, Harry it is.”

Alice folded his arms, leaning against the wall and knowing a few eyes were on him. He casually swept over as everyone was deciding on a name of the group. He caught a Ravenclaw flashing him a secretive smile, his eyes suddenly catching Zacarias Smith’s. Before anything could be exchanged Alice looked away casually, as Dumbledore’s Army was established.

Their first spell to learn was _Expelliarmus_ , in which he stood out for. He watched Harry and Neville spar, in which Neville got one in. Harry went up to talk to him and then gestured over to Alice. Neville, in return, looked nervous and unsure at the suggestion.

Alice quirked a brow as Harry brought Neville over to him. “What? I know this spell.” He said obviously.

Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Participation is a must, Alice. Just don’t go too hard on him.”

The grin on Alice’s face startled Harry, and he blinked rapidly, tearing his eyes away. “What?” He asked in a strangled voice.

“We’re on a first-name basis again.” Alice teased, wiggling his fingers Harry’s way.

Neville watched Harry’s cheeks go pink before the other boy tore away to check on the others, blinking cluelessly and looking at Alice with apprehension. “What did you do?” He asked with uncertainty.

Alice went back to his cool indifference, “Nothing, Longbottom. Now, to perform a spell quick and efficiently, you need to be great with your reflexes and able to react on a moment’s notice…” 

The rest of the class was spent switching from student to student, and Harry had gotten the idea to put Alice with the ones who were having the most trouble, after hearing Alice coach Neville so well. Eventually it was time to go, Harry sending Alice to leave with the Hufflepuffs when it was their turn to leave.

By the time Alice slipped back into his common room he was caught by the one person he knew would wait up for him. Draco’s eyes were boring into his skull before Alice finally turned around.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Alice smiled. “Shouldn’t you be doing rounds?”

“I told Pansy that I’d catch up. Did you get lost on the way to the library?” Draco looked at him accusingly, waiting for a valid answer as to why he was gone for an hour and a half.

“Possibly. I might have followed a white rabbit down a tunnel and suddenly I was surrounded by mushrooms.” Alice kept his smile, making his way over to the couch and sitting next to him. “Miss me?” His smile turned into a grin.

“I’m waiting for your valid excuse.”

“I’m waiting for you to let me off your very short leash.” Alice countered, leaning against Draco’s shoulder. “Am I allowed to remove myself from your good graces for at least an hour to keep to myself?”

“Not if you’re getting yourself into trouble.” Draco shoved him away slightly. “Third year you went missing because of Granger’s illegal activities. Fourth year you went missing and suddenly you were entered into the Triwizard Tournament. I really don’t want to think about why you went missing this year.”

Alice sighed and laid back, settling his head in Draco’s lap. “Do you want the truth then?” He paused, thinking about what he was about to say and then deciding that it wasn’t exactly spilling the beans. “Ever since Umbridge’s first class, I’ve been sneaking out into various empty classrooms to practice my defense spells.”

Draco blinked, “What?”

“You heard me.” Alice frowned, “I’m not exactly keen on foregoing everything for the sake of placating a Ministry official.”

“Alice, that has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done!” Draco didn’t look so pleased. “What’s going to happen if you get caught? You’re breaking the rules!” He hissed out.

“I’m not going to get caught.” Alice said calmly, “I make sure to go to a different empty classroom every week, and I’m pretty good with keeping away from Filch and his cat.” He smirked, “The cat is pretty easy, all I need to do is keep some tuna with me from the kitchens.”

Draco was disgruntled, mostly because Alice was the type to think of every possible way he could get away with bending and breaking rules. He knew perfectly well who he was dealing with, the boy who fooled an age line and discovered an illegal time turner. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. What happened to keeping your head down?”

“I’ve been doing this since summer!” Alice sat up, “I was sneaking Severus’s spellbooks away to read and study, and I’m happy to say that I know a fair few spells that aren’t on the curriculum.” He smiled cheekily. “Want to join me?”

Draco wanted to knock some sense into him. “Alice…” He stared at Alice’s confident smile. “I can’t join you.” He mumbled, “Father wants me to lie low.” He then narrowed his eyes at his friend, “I would assume Professor Snape would want you to do the same.”

“What Severus doesn’t know won’t hurt me.” Alice said reassuringly, shifting back into his spot. “I have it under control, Draco.”

There wasn’t any way he could get Alice to stop any of it, and the last thing he needed was for Alice to get caught and possibly get expelled for it. Draco wasn’t happy with his friend’s decision but he wasn’t going to stop him.

He wasn’t going to support him either.

* * *

  
  


The following three weeks had gone by like a blur. Alice had attended the DA at least twice since his first visit, and on the third class Harry tried to put him in charge. Alice did his best to avoid it and was successful, but those who wanted him to be the leader since day one wanted him to teach, Zacharias Smith being his biggest supporter. The Hufflepuff was strange, he disliked Harry but took to Alice and did his best to impress the other. The fourth week, Granger had gifted all of the members with a fake galleon that had a Protean charm on it that would alert them of their next meetings. Alice was definitely impressed, even he couldn’t do one of those yet. Not like he said anything, however.

Outside of the DA meetings, Quidditch became a bigger focus, and as Slytherin was practicing, Draco was giving himself a little project. He went about transfiguring rocks into little badges that were shaped like crowns, and Alice had an idea of what it was about when he read their inscriptions.

It wasn’t a secret that Weasley was now a keeper, but his expertise at the position was by far the worst thing anyone has ever seen. Pansy had snuck in on a few Gryffindor practices to see Weasley in action and guffawed at how bad he was, wondering if he actually made the team because of his connections with Harry. Alice knew about three other Gryffindors who were better keepers than Weasley was, so it was a guess as to how he managed to impress Johnson.

Draco was so passionate about his plan, he wanted to make sure to break down Weasley’s self-confidence enough to make sure Slytherin could make every goal. Draco was actually giving Alice a full-proof plan to make every score count. Alice didn’t feel guilty about the tactic at all, it was a perfect way to ensure Slytherin’s victory over Gryffindor, since Alice was the chaser that the other teams worried about, as he was pretty damn good at his job.

Though, because of Alice being a pretty damn good chaser, he was a target to the Weasley Twins’ pranks and hexes. He wasn’t the only one, but everyone on the Slytherin team was a target, just how everyone on the Gryffindor team was a target to Slytherins. Despite the fact that he was practicing defense spells with the Weasleys, there was still animosity and neither party felt bad for trying to disarm the other.

The morning of the game every Slytherin was decked out in the crown badges, even those who were on the team. Alice adjusted his badge on his robes, grinning despite the glowers from the Gryffindor table.

The game itself was amazing. Pansy led the house into a song that Draco created and it was clearly crippling Gryffindor’s keeper. Alice managed to make all his scores count while Vincent and Greg did their best to decapitate the Gryffindors with bludgers. It was neck and neck until Harry had caught the snitch…

...and suddenly a bludger hit Harry’s back, sending him flying.

Alice’s grin faltered and he winced, looking over at Vincent and watching him clasp Gregory’s hand vigorously. He snorted in amusement at the stunt, watching down below as Harry and Malfoy were getting into a conversation. Alice went about heading down towards them after Vincent and Gregory as they were intercepted by Madam Hooch, getting off his broom just as Draco was jeering Harry.

“— we couldn’t fit in _useless loser_ either — for his father, you know —”

The Twins had stilled, going rigid at Draco’s words and Alice stopped a ways back, watching. 

“Leave it,” said Johnson at once, taking one of the twins by the arm. “Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he’s just sore he lost, the jumped-up little —”

“— but you like the Weasleys, don’t you, Potter?” Draco continued with his best sneer. “Spend holidays there and everything, don’t you? Can’t see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you’ve been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys’ hovel smells okay —”

As Draco laughed Alice rolled his eyes, heading over to his friend to stand at his side. “Alright I think they get the point, Draco.”

Both of the twins looked enraged, eyeing up Draco. Alice jumped slightly, realizing that they were eyeing him too.

“Get him to back off, Blackwood.” Harry said in a strained voice, glaring at the boy.

Draco grinned anyway, “What, Potter, offended?” Draco decided for another go, “I’m sure you can’t even remember what _your_ mother’s house stank like, Potter, and quite possibly Weasley’s pigsty reminds you of it —”

It happened in a flash, suddenly Harry and the Twin, George, had charged at Draco, and in a split second Alice got in between him and them, making a fist as they had done the same. A fight ensued, both of the boys in a blinding rage and attacking Alice, trying to get to Draco while Alice fought back in the way he learned from his days at grade school. He ended up getting a black eye and socked in the gut before Madam Hooch jinxed everyone apart.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The woman screamed.

Alice felt Draco’s hands on his shoulders, his friend was trembling slightly. He was too focused on keeping a defensive stance, his eyes trained on the other Twin as he looked ready to fight his way from his restraint. The other two were rightly scuffed up. George had a split lip and Harry had been punched in the nose, all three of them glowering at him as if he was the one who thought up the song. The Slytherins were cheering loudly for Alice in the background as Madam Hooch sent all three of them back to the castle. Alice decided to keep his distance and let the two of them go on ahead, wincing slightly when he sighed, his stomach feeling sore as well as his eye.

Once he made it to Severus’s office he had to wait, turning once the man entered. He looked unnervingly calm, but Alice suspected that he was holding back his anger.

“Instead of diffusing a hostile situation you decide to fight like an uncaged animal, how _muggle_ of you.” He sneered.

“If I didn’t get in the way then Draco would have been beaten to a pulp.” Alice defended himself, “They looked rabid, it was self defense!”

“So I’ve witnessed.” His lips formed a thin line, “If I remember correctly, it was Draco who had provoked them entirely. Perhaps you should have allowed him to be taught a lesson.”

Alice winced. He couldn’t have even considered letting them beat up his friend. He didn’t care how insulting Draco could be. He remembered his first two years at Ilvermorny clearly. “They were in the wrong, Severus. The world is harsh, you need a thick skin to survive it. To actually result to violence over petty insults to your own parents? I’ve been told worse when I was younger. A better person wouldn’t have tried to attack him with _bare fists_.”

“So, you’re agreeing with what the boy had done.”

“Draco is going to be Draco whether I like it or not.” Alice explained. “I can’t keep him from insulting people he clearly loathes, all I can do is try and keep him from going too far. But I’m never going to let him get pummeled over running his mouth. He doesn’t deserve that.” Alice stood up straighter, feeling defiant and defensive of his friend. He felt strengthened despite the aches in his body.

Severus watched him for a while, giving away nothing as to what he was thinking. “I hope Draco realizes how fortunate he is to have you on his side.” He said then, louder than before. “Go see Madam Pomfrey about your battle wounds.”

Alice blinked, slightly confused. He wasn’t going to get points deducted? He nodded after a moment of pause and headed out the door, dazed at Severus’s reaction. He expected a bit more hostility.

He didn’t take more than two steps away from the classroom until he was face to face with Draco again, the blonde staring at him, namely his eye and how much darker it was getting.

Alice expected him to say something, knowing for certain that the blonde had heard Alice defend him. He opened his mouth to speak but his words were caught in his throat as soon as Draco closed the distance between them and kissed him, his hand falling onto the back of Alice’s neck and pulling him in further. Alice didn’t know what to do at first, stunned into shock before he realized his heart was thumping wildly. He eventually returned his gesture and allowed himself to lean forward… 

When someone cleared their throat both of the boys parted quickly, both of them flushed. Alice looked over to see the face of his caretaker, looking unamused at what he had just seen.

“Remember _where you are_.” He sneered out, pointing them down the hall.

Draco sobered up quickly and took Alice’s hand. “Right, Madam Pomfrey…” He led Alice away just until they were out of the dungeon, pulling Alice back into a private alcove so he could repeat the process.

Eventually they made it to the hospital wing after two seperate stops in between.

* * *

  
  


It wasn’t until the next DA meeting that Alice had been given another chance to confront the Twins and Harry, and he was expecting them to lash out once he arrived there. As soon as the door shut Fred had withdrawn his wand and trained it on Alice, who in turn withdrew his own. Everyone else had frozen still, not wanting to make a move.

“You shouldn’t have shown your face here, Blackwood!” Fred growled out.

Harry looked like he was itching to take his own wand out but George had joined his brother. Alice didn’t make a move.

“I’m still part of this club whether you like it or not.” Alice said in an unwavering voice. “You need me.”

Ron threw his wand towards Alice, “ _Furnun_ \--”

“ _Langlock_.” Alice shot out first, and the spell that Ron was uttering suddenly stopped, his tongue was plastered to the roof of his mouth.

“Wha dhid yush dew!” Ron cried out.

“End it, Blackwood!” Harry shouted.

Alice flicked his wand towards Ron, muttering a _Finite_. “I’m not going to try and defend myself to you.” He said in a strong voice, “I’m first and foremost Draco’s friend, remember that!”

“How could you come to his defense after what he did?” Harry shouted, “He got us banned from Quidditch!”

“No, you got _yourselves_ banned from Quidditch.” Alice kept his wand trained on them, “Nothing ever would have happened if you didn’t attack him!”

“He was insulting my parents!” Ron shouted.

“Oh _boo hoo_ .” Alice mocked, “As if that hasn’t happened before. Just face it, he was trying to goad you - _like he always does_ \- and you took the bait, and now you’re paying for it.”

“Why didn’t you try to stop him?” Harry glared at him scathingly, “You had every opportunity to stop him!”

“You could’ve stopped Malfoy from making those badges!” Ginny said, “And that song!”

Alice barked out a laugh, “Weasley, look at me. Remember who I am. If you don’t like the company I keep then that’s fine, but don’t try to get me to make him _stop_.”

Fred looked like he wanted to punch him but this time, surprisingly, Cedric Diggory got up to go to Alice’s side, much to Chang’s shock. Alice didn’t know how he felt about that, knowing that the rest of his own supporters were debating.

“Let’s not do anything rash, now.” Cedric said cautiously, acting like the neutral barrier between the two.

“The only reason I’m here is that we share a common goal.” Alice continued, “We’re not best friends, we’re not bosom buddies. I will be civil to you as long as you’re civil to me, but don’t expect me to try and placate your needs in public.”

“You’re just as horrible as Malfoy is.” Ron scowled.

“I never said I was a good person, Weasley!” Alice said loudly, “I’ve never claimed to be a saint. You knew damn well who I am and who I’m friends with when you requested me to come here, I’m not about to change myself or attempt to change Draco just because we share an hour together every week.”

Ron looked ready to advance, but Hermione was the one to step out first, moving between Alice and her friends. “Blackwood is right, Harry.”

“How are you coming to his defense?” Ron cried.

“I’m not coming to his defense, I’m saying that he’s right. We all knew who he was before we had him sign up and trying to sway his loyalties for our benefit would be unfair to him. We’re not here to convert people into our beliefs. Not all of us are here because we get along. We’re here for a common purpose, and that’s to prepare ourselves for battle.”

Alice relaxed his wand arm slowly, listening to Hermione and smiling cooly.

Harry knew Hermione and Alice had valid points but part of him still wanted to hold blame on Alice for them getting banned from Quidditch. He set his jaw, glaring at Alice until their eyes met. Alice didn’t look at him with any malice, only with a shrug and schooled features that gave away nothing. He sighed, knowing that fighting about this any further wouldn’t get them anywhere.

“Let’s just start the lesson.” He said then, earning a dumbstruck look from Ron.

“But Harry--”

“We’re moving on!” He stressed, effectively disarming Fred and George with one glare.

Alice relaxed further, resuming his post at the wall as Harry began teaching them a new spell.

* * *

  
  


There was about two feet of snow on the ground as they made their way to Care of Magical Creatures. Word was that the half-giant Hagrid was back to teaching the class. Alice wouldn’t admit it to Draco, but he was more interesting than Professor Grubbly-Plank. They were able to learn more exciting creatures, no matter how dangerous the class had a chance of becoming.

They headed to the edge of the forest, the darkness beyond the trees looking ominous and foreboding. Draco had took Alice’s hand instantly at the sight, and Alice chuckled lightly. Draco was afraid to go further in and it was almost cute, and Alice was forcing himself not to embarass Draco by expressing the fact. He kept asking Hagrid questions about the safety of the beasts they were about to see, and while the Slytherins began to agree with him, Alice was about to laugh.

“Draco, it’s not going to _eat_ you.” Alice said in a quiet voice, something Harry heard instantly and glanced at them for. Draco and Alice’s sudden closeness after the Quidditch match was something he was still trying to get used to.

The Slytherin was one of the few students who entered the forest without any anxiety over being eaten or attacked, his hand squeezing Draco’s as the other boy instinctively moved towards him. Hagrid went about making shrieking cries into the dark, where he dropped the animal carcass. Soon, he was able to see it, the shining white eyes of a beautiful black skeletal horse-like creature made its way forward. Alice felt his heart pound at the sight of it. He recognized the creature from the carriages after the train. They were eerie, majestic animals that he realized, upon looking at everyone, most of them couldn’t see.

“Oh, an’ here comes another one!” said Hagrid proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, folded its leathery wings closer to its body, and dipped its head to gorge on the meat. “Now … put yer hands up, who can see ’em?”

Alice raised his hand, catching Draco’s attention instantly. Alice noticed that Longbottom also raised his hand, as well as another Slytherin… He could feel Harry’s eyes on him.

Hagrid began to describe what they were to those who couldn’t see them and directed them to the carcass, wherein those who couldn’t see the thestrals were only witnessing the flesh rip off of the meat. Patil was unnerved and anxious and Draco was still confused, his questions going unanswered.

“Righ’, now, who can tell me why some o’ you can see them an’ some can’t?”

Granger raised her hand.

“Go on then,” said Hagrid, beaming at her.

“The only people who can see thestrals,” she said, “are people who have seen death.”

Draco’s eyebrows rose up and he looked back at Alice, repeating the words under his breath as he frowned in concern. Alice tried to ignore the stare, knowing that the inevitable question was going to come, but he was saved instantly at the arrival of Professor Umbridge.

That would be the first and last time he was thankful that Professor Umbridge had appeared.

Draco’s attention swayed so easily when Umbridge began to harass Hagrid, and Alice was at least thankful that it took his attention away from what had happened. He didn’t say anything as Draco went about making his sardonic comments. When Harry looked at Alice accusingly Granger had slapped his shoulder while Alice shrugged, not willing to get into the same fight they had weeks ago.

He did manage to stop Draco from making a comment on the way back to the castle, however, effectively stopping his friend and shaking his head. He noticed Harry looking dumbstruck at how Draco just instantly dropped the subject. Pansy, however, giggled.

  
  


Thankfully, Draco didn’t broach the topic of who died in front of Alice as December began. He continued to go to the DA classes, ambushed right when he had gotten to the next class and practically forced by Granger to teach them some of the spells only he knew about.

Alice’s breath left him, “Granger!”

“You’ve been avoiding teaching us but you’re going to do it tonight, Blackwood.” She said sternly, “For example, that Langlock spell. It’s a useful spell that we all need. We’re going to be learning all those spells you know, alright?”

Alice held his hands up placatingly, “Isn’t Harry the leader? I would figure he’d want to tell me this himself.” He gestured to Harry, who was talking animatedly with Chang.

“Harry’s handing the reins over to you tonight.” Granger smiled, “I was instructed to make sure you don’t get out of it.”

“I never signed up for this.” Alice frowned, “I didn’t sign that paper knowing you’d make me do this. I’m not a leader.”

“I specifically had both you and Harry in mind to teach us after I told you the time and date of the meeting. Blackwood, you’re Professor Snape’s godson. Professor Snape is brilliant at Defense and you’re just like him.”

“He’s my second cousin, not my father.”

“Still.” She pursed her lips.

Alice was still pressed against the wall, Granger keeping her hand next to his head as if she’d attack him if he said no. He didn’t like this, being roped in to work alongside Harry wasn’t his plan. If he knew that this was going to happen he would have stuck to practicing alone.

Eventually the door had shut and locked, and Alice knew he wasn’t getting out of it. Granger had left his personal bubble and Harry called attention to the class.

“Tonight we’re switching up the instructors. This will be happening every now and then, because aside from myself, he knows a pretty good deal about Defense.” Harry gestured to Alice, who had attempted to put back his air of cool detachment. When everyone looked at him he saluted them, kicking off from the wall and heading over to Harry’s side.

“Blackwood will be our teacher for tonight, as he knows spells that haven’t been covered in Hogwarts.”

“Dark spells, you mean.” Ginny commented sourly, folding her arms.

Alice caught Harry’s shoulders tensing, deciding to intervene. “Gryffindors.” He smiled at Ginny, “Dark spells are only dark if you intend them to be.” He addressed the rest of the class. “Let me put this out here right now, you’re all biased. I was brought up to hate Dark spells, I was taught at a young age that the Dark Arts were evil. But I learned something: Despite being labelled "dark", the Dark Arts are not necessarily "evil". They give you an upper hand in battle when you need it, but they can be pretty gruesome if you don’t know how to control them.”

“We’re not going to learn Dark spells!” Ron said indignantly.

Alice held up a finger, “I understand none of you are willing to go down that route, so instead of Dark spells I’m going to teach you what some would call Gray ones. Gray spells are classified as Dark spells to many, but they’re pretty tame in their intent. They’re not made to kill, they’re not on the level as Dark spells, but because they’re not inherently good nor evil they earn the title of Gray spells. You may recognize many to be hexes. Your Ministry,” Alice coughed, “feels that Gray spells are on the same level as Dark spells, but that’s a biased opinion held by many. Gray spells are only harmful if your intent is malicious.” He took out his wand, rolling it in his fingers. He noticed that some of them were hanging onto his every word, while a few were hesitant. The Weasley Clan weren’t so sure. It was almost adorable how naive they were.

“Who would like to let me demonstrate a spell? I promise not to inflict bodily harm on you in any way.” Alice smiled smoothly. A few hands shot up, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, and Zacharias Smith.

“Finally. I’ve been waiting to learn something _interesting_.” The Hufflepuff said haughtily, clearly making a jab at Harry.

Alice was tempted to pick the Hufflepuff, but instead roamed his eyes onto Justin Fitch-Fletchery. “You.” He decided.

Justin jumped, “Me? I didn’t raise my hand!”

“I’m not choosing willing participants.” He smiled, “Heed my promise.”

Justin cursed and looked over at Zacharias before his friend encouraged Justin to follow Alice. They stepped up to the dias and Alice poised his wand.

“Send your best hex at me.” Alice told him, “Don’t be shy about it, really try and make me hurt.”

Everyone watched, transfixed. The Twins actively cheered Justin on.

“My best one, then?” Justin smirked at that, “Been nice knowing you.” He aimed his wand. “ _Anteocu--_ ”

“ _Langlock._ ” Alice kept his wand pointed at him, and Justin suddenly couldn’t finish what he was saying. Alice smiled innocently after that, flicking his wand upwards, “ _Levicorpus._ ”

Justin cried out suddenly as an invisible hook caught him by the ankles and lifted him upwards, hanging him upside down in midair. Everyone cried out and some of them clapped, but Justin wasn’t amused at all.

“Uat dih yu du!” He struggled to form his words, growing frustrated.

Alice turned to the class. “The spells are straightforward. Langlock sticks one’s tongue on the roof of their mouth, effectively cutting off their spells from being cast and any further incantations.” He rolled his wand in his hands. “Levicorpus makes it so your opponent is hooked upside down and impeades them in their attack. It makes it very hard to move.” He looked back at Justin, “Try to move.”

The boy was having difficulty, glaring at Alice, “Lesh esh guh!” He cried.

“Now, to reverse Levicorpus, you use _Libracorpus_ .” As he said it he jerked his wand upwards and Justin came falling down like a sack of potatoes. Alice grinned smoothly after that and used a _Finite_ on his tongue.

“I want everyone to group together.” Alice said in a strong voice, suddenly finding himself in command. He had to admit, it was a fun feeling. He watched as everyone grouped together, even Harry. “Langlock, no swish, no flick, just point and cast.” He watched as everyone attempted to cast the spell, most of them succeeding. Alice went to those who were having trouble, Neville especially. As he was casting it on the person at his side without even pointing. “Your wand is faulty.” Alice said, causing Neville to go red at the statement.

“It’s not mine, Blackwood, it’s my dad’s.”

Alice nodded slowly, “You need your own wand.” He patted the boy on the back, moving on to the next person until everyone had successfully gotten it right. He went back to the front. “Now, here’s the tricky one. Levicorpus! Flick your wand upwards.”

Suddenly there were students hanging by their ankles, some bursting into laughter over their situation. Alice snorted in amusement, “Libracorpus, _jerk_ your wand upwards.”

A resounding thud came when the hanging students were dropped. Alice grinned at the sight.

Perhaps teaching wasn’t that bad.

It continued on until people were using both spells at once, even the Weasley clan were becoming excited over the spells. Alice could clearly see the mischievous looks in the Weasley Twins, knowing they learned another spell. When it came time to end the class everyone separated in small groups, but Alice hung back with Harry.

“Was I up to your standards, Mister Potter?” Alice asked him with a wry smile.

Harry closed the parchment for the moment, looking over at him, “You did good, better than I thought you could. You caught everyone’s attention, even Ron’s.”

“It helps when you’re confident in your skills.” Alice said, distractedly twirling his wand.

Harry looked around hesitantly, wishing Ron and Hermione were still here. He suddenly felt awkward being alone with Alice. It reminded him of the Yule Ball. “Are you sure you don’t want to be an Auror?”

The question had Alice scrunching his nose, “Harry, if you haven’t learned by now, I’m against the thought in every single way.”

The boy frowned, “Why not? Obviously you were trained for it.”

“It wasn’t willingly.”

“But still--”

“My father was a piece of shit.” Alice cut him off, “Both of my parents, Harry. They were horrible people that I despise more than anything. I hope you get the picture that I detest the thought of becoming an auror.”

Alice’s outburst stunned Harry into silence, staring blankly at him. Harry swallowed thickly, taking in Alice’s anger over the subject. “H-how could you say that?” He asked in a whisper. “Your parents are _dead_.”

Alice could clearly see it on Harry’s face, familiarity in his voice. He remembered what Draco had told him, Harry’s parents were dead. The boy looked bewildered that someone could loathe their parents even in death. “When I found out they died, I began laughing.” Alice said darkly, almost grim. “I was laughing so much they thought I was hysterical in mourning. Not everyone’s parents are the picture of perfection.”

Harry didn’t understand the concept of bad parents. He honestly couldn’t. Weren’t parents supposed to unconitionally love their child? They had Alice for a reason, right? Harry’s parents loved him so much that they gave up their lives to protect him. Even the Dursleys, who loathed him entirely, adored their own child. He kept watching Alice, not seeing any hint of remorse. He didn’t know if that made Alice evil or just miserable.

Alice wondered if he said too much to the other boy, noting how he was trying to understand the concept. He offered him a half-smile and backed away, heading out the door and down the hall.

Harry was still rooted to the spot, millions of questions flooding his mind that he wanted to ask Alice. At the top of the list was why he could see those thestrals. There was an unknown feeling spreading through him, morbid curiosity that ached in his bones. He tried to not think about it, opening up his parchment to look at the map again, watching Alice’s dot head back to the dungeons.

  
  


Harry didn’t bring it up after that night, not at first. After their discussion, Harry was now looking at him in a whole new way. It looked like… pity in his eyes. Alice didn’t like that at all, he didn’t want to be looked at with pity. He would rather have Harry glaring at him like he was a horrible person than to be pitied.

The weeks leading up to Christmas holiday were busy for Draco and Pansy, both of them helping with the Christmas decorations around the castle. Alice often waited for them in the common room, either working on his homework or sketching something new. He was able to find Draco something for Christmas on their last Hogsmeade visit, hoping that the blonde would enjoy it. It didn’t feel natural, however, buying him a gift instead of making it himself. It lacked personality, it lacked creativity. It lacked a lot of things. Alice still had Draco’s mood crystal from third year, it was always with him after he had fastened it to a cord and kept it around his neck. With their new intimacy the crystal was showing a new array of colors than the ones it used to show. Pink was the most frequent.

He flushed at the memories, which were vivid in his mind. Ever since he defended Draco at the Quidditch Pitch it gave the blonde a certain boldness to press forward in what he wanted with Alice. He expected to have reacted as he did when Draco kissed him back at Spinner’s End, but no, it had an adverse effect. They gradually spent countless moments hidden away and ...what Draco called _snogging_ … often holding hands and Alice found himself letting Draco further into his personal bubble than he allowed him before. He couldn’t really help it, though, Draco felt warm and he smelled familiar, it was a fresh peppermint scent if he thought about it enough. Often times he woke up with his head in the other’s lap because Alice was so comfortable he fell asleep, and then the blonde proceeded to tease him about his sleeping and study habits.

Despite the situation at Malfoy Manor, Draco was requested to come back home, on the stipulation that Alice would join him. He didn’t know how to feel about that. What if he ran into Voldemort? Would the man try to read his mind? No, Alice knew how to Occlude after a full year of practice. He needed to keep his recent outings with Harry Potter a secret. It would look suspicious, that Alice had joined Dumbledore’s Army in order to fight against Voldemort. They actually thought he was joining their cause. He made his intentions clear from the first meeting, he joined them because he was bored, and the classes, while he knew half of what Harry was teaching, were almost interesting and amusing at the same time. Especially when Harry decided Alice should teach, he never felt so enthralled to be in charge, it was _fun_.

The last class of the term was to review what everyone had already learned. Alice and Harry were both working together. The only off thing about the class was that Harry was treating him differently, now that he knew a glimpse of Alice’s childhood. He was being more considerate and understanding, something that Alice was insulted by. There was no reason for Harry to feel bad for him. He was _happy_ his parents had died. He was _happy_ that he was living with Severus. He was even more _happy_ that he had Draco in his life, and Harry Fucking Potter didn’t understand that. Harry didn’t understand a fair bit of things, like how the Dark Arts could be useful if used in a responsible way. He hated the idea of using them entirely, convinced that it would turn you evil.

It was that Gryffindor mindset.

By the time the class was over Harry requested Alice to stay a bit longer, not saying anything until he managed to have Ron and Hermione go on ahead.

“What do you want, Harry?” Alice inspected his wand, counting the intricate runes. When he glanced up at Harry the boy seemed to be trying to find the courage to ask the question. Unbeknownst to Alice, Harry had a million of them.

“We’re at least tier two friends now, are we?” Harry asked, a phrase reminiscent of their talk in fourth year.

“I suppose…” Alice quirked a brow, waiting. “Don’t you have to go back before curfew?”

“I’m safe from that.” Harry said dismissively, “I just want to know...why do you hate your parents?”

Alice frowned, “Didn’t I just tell you?”

“It’s very hard for me to understand it, Alice. They had you, why wouldn’t they want you?”

“Have you heard of accidents?”

Harry paused, “Accidents?”

Alice rolled his eyes, “There’s a bunch of children in the world who were born despite their parents wanting otherwise. In my case, my mother didn’t know she was pregnant with me until she had me.”

Harry pulled up a chair, “But she would have cared about you, though, wouldn’t she? You came out of her womb, Alice. You were a part of her - both of them.”

Alice made a long dragged out sigh, “Everything’s a fucking fairy tale for you, isn’t it?” He wandered over to a wall, leaning against it. “My mother gave birth to me during a no-maj rock concert.”

Harry followed him, “No-maj?”

“American term for muggle. It was very sudden and I was swathed in one of the concert shirts, and since then they had decided to grace me with the name Alice, after Alice Cooper.”

Harry vaguely recalled the muggle rock star, remembering Uncle Vernon’s abhorrence of his music and trying to ban it from the neighborhood after someone across the street had a son who blasted rock music constantly. He often heard it while gardening.

Alice kept his eyes on Harry as he made the connection, thankfully not having to answer who Alice Cooper was. “After that, she didn’t want anything to do with me.” He continued, “She did the bare minimum just to make sure I survived, but as soon as I was old enough to walk and talk she was rarely around. She was hardly there. My father, on the other hand,” Alice grimaced in distaste upon the memory, “He thought it was a prime opportunity to try and make me into a carbon copy of himself. He decided to train me, and it was harsh. I was put through the harshest treatment possible to attune every one of my skills. He wanted me to be the perfect wizard, and anything less than perfect was unacceptable.”

Alice had bit every word out with such disgust that it threw Harry back. “You told me your dad was a perfectionist but I never thought--”

“To give you a clear-cut picture I often had to recount a random scene by memory to the very minute detail with my own sketchbooks or I wouldn’t be given a certain privilege. You would think that Quidditch would be a nice relaxing sport but he managed to make that into a chore as well. When I failed to meet up to his standards, he called me a loser and told me I’d never be good enough. That’s how I ended up in the Triwizard Tournament, because he was sure I’d fail.”

“But you didn’t.” Harry frowned, “You won it fair and square.”

“A hollow victory now that I consider it.” Alice sniffed, rolling his wand in his fingers and feeling the etchings. “As you can see right now, his teachings only worked in a few areas. I’m superb with Defense, I’m very good with Transfiguration, and Charms, but I was terrible at Potions and Herbology. Thankfully I’m moderately good at Ancient Runes, but I think Arthmancy is killing me.”

“You’re not terrible at Potions.”

Alice snorted, “Only because Severus took his time to tutor me during the summers.”

Harry grimaced upon the mention of Professor Snape’s name, looking at Alice strangely, “You’re probably the only person he’s not a horrible git to.”

“That’s my godfather you’re talking about.” Alice warned him.

“Really, have you really noticed how much he torments us?”

Alice closed his eyes, remembering those classes well. “Only to you lot. He’s better with my lot, given that he’s the head of Slytherin. Although, if you were a Slytherin, he might have treated you differently.” He grinned after that, opening his eyes. Harry looked red, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

“I… almost became a Slytherin.” He mumbled quietly.

“You’re pulling my leg.” Alice kept his grin, “You, a Slytherin?”

“It’s not something I advertise. You better not tell Malfoy that either!” Harry glared as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn’t know why his scar hurt all of a sudden, the sight of Alice giving him mixed emotions, and he suddenly felt gravitated to him. He rubbed it and did his best to ignore the feeling, trying to get back on the subject. “So… is that why you can see thestrals, did your parents die in front of you?”

Alice wanted to laugh, so he did. It was a fierce bitter laugh. “Hardly. Although I wish that were the case, I would have been thrilled to see my dead parents.”

Again that attraction struck him again, and Harry was starting to become bewildered. “W-who did you see?” He couldn’t help but ask, being pulled to curiosity.

It was quiet for a moment before Alice decided to answer, looking unreadable, blank. “I was about eight when it happened, father thought to have this idea to bring me to work with him, to see how it was to be an auror. He told me it was a game, if I stayed quiet and just let them work, then I would get a treat.” The memory was like a painting in his mind, and he closed his eyes again. “We went to the hospital so he could interview some victims of a magical fire gone wrong, and one of them was in a real bad way. When they started to have a seizure he told me to stay put while he went to retrieve a healer. The victim died right in front of me. I didn’t know it at the time until I went up to touch his hand. It felt...plastic. You don’t want to know the feeling of death, their hand felt stiff and cold. I suddenly realized that my own father left me in the same room with a dead person.”

When Alice opened his eyes he realized that Harry was right in front of him now, staring at him with shock. “When he came back he wasn’t even sympathetic. I was crying by then, and he told me to suck it up and that _‘death happens all the time’_.” He finished in a low voice, effectively making Harry wince.

“That sounds bloody horrible.” He sounded sympathetic and disgusted, putting his hand on Alice’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Harry whispered, frowning.

Alice sighed, “Nothing anyone can do about it now. It all doesn’t matter anymore.” He smiled wanly, “All that is behind me.”

Harry didn’t understand what he was feeling, he _couldn’t_ understand what he was feeling. His scar was hurting and he was compelled, full of these strange feelings that he couldn’t process. He was reminded of those similar feelings back in fourth year, where he was confused about his standing when it came to Alice. He put his hand on Alice’s cheek suddenly, startling the other into silence. Their eyes met, green for blue and suddenly Harry leaned up to brush his lips against the other’s… 

Alice didn’t give him a chance to go further, wrenching the other away in pure shock of what just happened. He stepped as far away from Harry as possible, touching his lips with his hand.

“I’m sorry--” Harry was torn at the reaction, happy that Alice pushed him away but at the same time forlorn at the gesture, “I didn’t mean--I didn’t know--” He felt his gut twist, wondering why he was so compelled to kiss him. He thought his feelings towards Alice had subsided, but now… “You should go.” He said then, trying to keep himself calm.

Alice was clearly confused, but he took Harry’s advice and slowly made his way to the door, keeping his eyes on Harry until he was gone.

Harry wiped his lips with his sleeve, not understanding what was going on. His scar was burning and he felt jealous. He was becoming horribly confused. Why did he feel strongly attracted? Alice was just his friend, wasn’t he? But these feelings were so sudden, as if another force drove him to them. It didn’t make any sense. Why was he suddenly jealous of Draco Malfoy?

He grabbed his bag and pulled out his invisibility cloak, making his way back to Gryffindor Tower to get his mind off of it.

* * *

  
  


Alice was distracted up until the train ride back to London, still not knowing why Harry had done what he did but not really wanting to find out why, lest it would happen again. Harry never gave off any hint that he liked Alice, no, in his own recognition Harry had feelings for Cho Chang. It was very obvious with Harry, he was terrible at hiding his feelings. If he had a thing for Alice, then it would have been easily known. The look on Harry’s face when Alice separated both of them spoke of relief and rejection, but there was an underlying surprise, like he didn’t expect it to happen at all. The way he panicked said even more.

He could think about it in every angle possible and try to dissect every single second but it still wouldn’t make sense.

Thankfully he and Draco were sharing the compartment with Pansy, Blaise, and Theodore. They were distracting him enough so he didn’t notice how much Alice was spacing out. He was idly petting Blaise’s cat while he thought, the black feline content with curling up in Alice’s chest as his head rested in Draco’s lap. It was an amusing sight, Draco idly petting his hair while Alice continued to pet the cat. They were talking about Quidditch and how Harry was better off being ousted from the sport entirely. Alice managed to catch the tail-end of Draco gloating that Harry was finally getting what he deserved.

“And you keep saying you’re not obsessed.” Alice murmured, grinning up at him when Draco finally looked down.

Instead making a snide remark, Draco covered the boy’s mouth with his hand, “You don’t get to speak for the rest of the train ride.” He decided instantly, ignoring how Alice glared at him. Blaise started to laugh because Alice couldn’t really do anything, as fighting back would disturb the cat on his chest, he was forced to endure it.

From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters it was a port-key to Malfoy Manor, something Alice was still queasy about but at this point he was able to hold it back better than the year before. Alice expected to arrive into Malfoy manor and be thrust face to face with Voldemort but he wasn’t even in the room, the Malfoys themselves looking less tired and stressed than upon the start of the year.

Voldemort wasn’t around, and Alice figured it was the reason Severus allowed him to go with Draco to Malfoy Manor. The holiday reminded him of Christmas in third year, but the only difference between them was that they had established a new relationship. Though, every time he and Draco were in the presence of his parents Alice made sure to keep a respectable distance. He had a suspicion that Narcissa had already known about everything, as Draco corresponded with his parents often during Hogwarts. The knowing smiles and soft chuckles at their behavior was a dead giveaway, and the more Alice paid attention to both parents, the more he realized that she wasn’t the only one who knew something, but he wasn’t about to ask out loud.

Everything seemed to be going perfect. Draco and Alice were spending quality time together either inside the manor or out in the garden, chasing after the snitch. The lack of Voldemort was making it easier for Draco’s parents to relax, it was a great holiday.

Up until Christmas.

He came without warning. The man just flooed in as if he owned the manor, calling everyone to attention. Lucius looked surprised but it was a quick emotion before it was carefully shielded away. Draco was in the midst of revealing Alice’s christmas gift while Alice had already opened Draco’s. Everyone fell into an uncomfortable silence upon the sudden presence of Voldemort.

Then Lucius went over to greet him.

“My Lord, you announced that you were spending December at Riddle Manor…” The man was trying to understand the sudden arrival.

Voldemort didn’t give anything away, “Lucius, you speak like you’re not happy to see me.”

“No-no that’s not what I meant,” He corrected himself quickly, “We weren’t expecting a guest on this day. Your presence is very sudden.” _Unannounced_ was the veiled word that Alice knew he wanted to say.

Voldemort regarded him calmly, but the silence that stretched on seemed to have an effect on Lucius. He expected something. The man turned his eyes over towards the rest of them, Alice specifically. “I wasn’t going to come here, until a little bird told me that you were hosting the Blackwood boy. I became… curious.”

Alice stiffened, this was the first time he had seen Voldemort ever since the graveyard. He didn’t understand why Voldemort wanted to see him especially, he wasn’t anything special.

Lucius’s looked over to Alice as well, looking hesitant through his facade. “Curious, my Lord?”

Voldemort’s smile was unnerving and unnatural, something that didn’t fit his face. “I haven’t had any more time with the boy past my resurrection, he’s quite peculiar. I’ve been itching to speak with him further.”

Draco looked at Alice, confused and frightened for his friend… no… boyfriend at this point, wasn’t it? Alice looked just as bewildered as Draco was, the boy looking over at Draco in clear-cut confusion and not knowing what to do.

Voldemort looked amused at the reactions, laughing. It wasn’t a normal laugh, and it made Narcissa jump slightly in her seat.

“I wish to request some privacy with the boy.” Voldemort said then, turning his attention to Alice and snapping his fingers. “You, come here.”

Alice blinked, seeing that Narcissa was gesturing for him to stand while Draco looked apprehensive. Alice eventually stood, putting his gift aside. He didn’t even know how to address the man, or what to say in his presence. Alice went over to him, more confused than afraid. It was strange, his lack of fear. Perhaps he was afraid somewhere in the confusion but it never appeared. Alice stopped before the man and looked up at him, remembering his Occlumency.

“Follow.” Voldemort instructed, leaving the room. Alice looked at Lucius quickly and the man wordlessly demanded that he’d go, afraid of the consequences. The boy nodded and hurried after Voldemort. All he could wonder was why the most powerful dark wizard in Britain wanted to speak to him? What was so special about him? He recalled the graveyard, how Voldemort looked purely amused and intrigued at his presence. Was Voldemort trying to figure him out, how one of his followers had a relative that no one knew of? Alice couldn’t think of anything other than that.

Eventually they reached Lucius’s study, and Alice was back to Christmas in third year when Lucius took him there to figure him out. Alice readied himself for an interrogation, sitting at the chair he sat in two years ago and waiting as Voldemort shut and cast some privacy charms upon the door. Honestly, someone this imposing should be more frightening to him. Voldemort had killed many, and he knew a wide array of Dark magic.

Alice blamed his study on powerful leaders. He read up on many. Queen Mary the First, the Roman Emperor Caligula, Vlad the Impaler, Maximilien Robespierre, even Grendelwald. He never really heard of Voldemort before he moved here, and it was almost awe-inspiring. Not that Alice was in awe of Voldemort, but he had to put respect where it was due. He was a powerful force that could become like any one of them, he inspired enough followers.

Voldemort’s beliefs didn’t bother him, as it would anyone else. He understood the hatred of muggles, as they didn’t deserve his respect given how close minded they were. The hatred of muggleborns didn’t make him bat an eyelash, given that his mother was one of them. He enjoyed the idea of wizards breaking through the statue of secrecy and how wizarding values should be protected.

He realized he was caught up in his thinking and looked up. Voldemort was sitting in Lucius’s chair. He shifted uncomfortably, “Sorry.”

Voldemort found it curious. “Not anyone dares to daydream in my presence, I normally command apt attention. Tell me, what were you thinking about?”

Alice made sure to keep his back straight, “Honestly? I was thinking about how powerful you are. I’m not British, but I’ve researched everything I can about you.”

“Yet you’re not afraid of me.” He pointed out.

“I should be.” Alice said eventually, “I should be more aware of what you can easily do to me, but logically I’m calm. You’re not here to kill me. You would have killed me at the graveyard.” He said reasonably.

Voldemort was impressed but he didn’t show it. The boy was still a curious puzzle he wanted to solve. Everything about Alice struck a familiar chord inside of him. “It was… fairly surprising… that one of my followers was discovered to have a relative all the way in America. I’ve taken enough of a glimpse into your mind at the graveyard, and everything was quite… unusual. You’re a halfblood pretending to be something different.”

It wasn’t an accusatory statement but Alice was on-edge instantly. He watched Voldemort steadily, of course the man would know. “It was purely survival instincts that had me cover that up, but you probably see why I don’t go around talking about it. My parents were… failures.”

“It’s amazing what they’ve created. Born to two people who didn’t want you, a blood-traitor and a mudblood. They attempted to make you into something completely different than you are right now, and you’re attracted to what they’ve tried to shy you away from.” He sounded thoughtful at the statement, still watching Alice with curiosity. “You loathe muggles, you hate mudbloods, your father especially, and your given name as well.”

Alice leaned back slightly, looking away. He felt uncomfortable having to talk about it yet again. “It’s… I’m sure you wouldn’t understand…”

“Oh, but I do!” Voldemort said before Alice could continue. “I understand a great deal. Both of us, we’re alike. Perhaps that’s why I’m so curious about you. You remind me of myself when I was younger. You’re full of ambition and you wish to defy those that have wronged you. You crave to become something better than what others expected you to be.”

The words had a lot of recognition in them, and Alice was slightly shocked that he was right about it. Though, that was why Voldemort was interested in him? Because he was like Voldemort? He thought about that and was quick to realize why he said that, his eyebrows raising slightly before he schooled his features. He wasn’t going to say it, looking at Voldemort and catching his understanding on that striking white face.

Voldemort wasn’t enraged at how quickly the boy made the connection, he actually expected it. Alice wasn’t stupid, he was talented and intelligent enough to read through people. He was a natural Legimins without having to break into anyone’s mind. Volemort craved to go over to him, to dive back into his mind to see what he could find, but he held himself back. Voldemort never thought he’d be compelled to a single person, but he realized their connection was magnetic. If Alice had been alive in his own time Tom would have been attracted to him in an instant. He would have latched onto the boy and never let him go. He wanted to do the same, but it wasn’t the time for such things. Alice wasn’t ready. All he could do was nurture the boy and help him grow before he could do anything of the sort. Alice had the ability to become as great as himself, but under his wing he would become a great ally instead of an upcoming rival to dispose of.

Even so, Voldemort wanted to test him.

“Tell me,” He began, “What do you plan to do after Hogwarts?”

Alice perked up at the question, thinking about it. It was one of those questions that he didn’t have the answer to. It was unknown to him. “I never really thought about it.” He said honestly, frowning. “All I know is that I don’t wish to be an auror.”

Voldemort grinned, “What would you say to becoming part of my cause?”

“Why would you want me to join your cause? I’m a halfblood, your cause is about the purity and sanctity of pureblood ideals.”

“Despite your blood, you have a talent that I don’t wish to see squandered. I can look beyond your tainted parentage, Alice. I wish to take you under my wing and further train you. Hogwarts doesn’t exactly teach the Dark Arts.”

Alice gave him a smile, “Actually, I’m learning Dark Arts already.” His statement seemed to amuse the older man, and so Alice explained. “My godfather, he has books about the Dark Arts all over the place, and I… well…” He grinned sheepishly, “I read them when he’s not around.”

Voldemort chuckled, “Good, although you haven’t answered my question.”

Alice was trying not to shift in his chair again, he was doing it too often and it was a tell. He was having trouble schooling himself in front of Voldemort when the man knew too much about him already. He felt like an open book, exposed and naked for the other to read all he wanted. “Being a Death Eater…” He promised Severus that he would think about it before jumping into it, didn’t he? Death Eaters were the antithesis of what he was brought up to be. He couldn’t deny that he was curious and slightly bit intrigued about working with Voldemort, learning all that he could from the man. It was almost a thrilling thought to know as much as possible about the Dark Arts and becoming fluent in them.

He could practically hear his father in his head, screaming at him that he was a traitor.

His father’s scream of betrayal seemed to form his decision.

“I would be honored.” Alice said quietly.

Voldemort grinned wider, “Yes, but I would prefer you to give me something to ensure that I would have your loyalty. A way of… fealty.”

Alice blinked. Was he going to do this _now_? His mind whirred. He didn’t have anything important to give the other. The only thing important to him was on his chest, the cold crystal keeping him alert of its presence. He couldn’t imagine giving Voldemort his most prized possession.

But what if…

“Put me under the Cruciatus.” The words fell from his mouth before he knew what he was saying, catching himself off-guard. Did he really say that?

Voldemort considered the offer, quirking a nonexistant brow, “It’s extremely uncommon for someone to request to be put through torture, do you realize what you’re asking?” He was amused, the only person who offered him such a thing was Bellatrix Lestrange, but she was a few degrees crazier than Alice was currently. A perfectly stable-minded and sane boy was requesting Voldemort to torture him.

Alice knew it was a crazy request but he couldn’t back out of it now, could he? He slowly nodded, not backing down from the request. He couldn’t do anything other than this.

Voldemort stood up, gesturing for Alice to do the same. “Kneel over there.” He pointed to the spot. Alice hesitated for a split-second before moving over to the area specified, kneeling down before Voldemort.

A small chill crept its way up his spine at the sight of the boy kneeling before him, and he ignored it instantly, drawing his wand and pointing it at him. “ _Crucio_.”

Everything Alice was thinking was instantly engulfed by pain. His muscles seized at the sensation, every one of his nerves being engulfed by liquid fire that licked every part of his body. The pain was unique and maddening, making him scream as the spell took him into a new world. His screams blended in with his breathing and he was trying his best not to bite his tongue, but in the process he had bitten his cheek as hard as possible. Every part of him was alight with the invisible fire until the curse was lifted away. Alice collapsed, falling onto his back and breathing heavily, tasting copper in his mouth and feeling his muscles spasm and twitch from the after-effects. His eyes fluttered shut and he felt a hysterical need to laugh, allowing himself to do so. He didn’t quite understand why he was laughing but it felt right at the time, his eyes finally opening and meeting with Voldemort’s form.

The man was still, his breath coming short as his eyes refused to tear away from the sight. The laughter in his ears sounded warped, mad, and hysterical. He couldn’t look away, he shouldn’t look away. The sight and sounds before him, the boy never looked so _beautiful_. He was meant for him, there wasn’t any doubt about it. Some omnipresent force tore the world apart and brought him into Voldemort’s life as some sort of a cosmic blessing. He had to remember himself, driving the thoughts away just for now.

It wasn’t the right time.

Alice could feel the blood trickling down his chin, staying still for a good amount of time before struggling himself back upright, his body still felt ablaze but it was an oddly pleasant feeling. He couldn’t understand this… the cruciatus made his body spasm into uncontrollable pain but left him buzzing in a pleasurable sensation. He felt alive and alert in every one of his senses. Alice was trying to piece it together, but he couldn’t. If he thought about it too much he would realize that he had enjoyed the intense pain and wished it didn’t stop. Soon he realized that Voldemort’s hand was in front of his face, offering him assistance. He took it quietly and stood up, unable to think of anything to say.

The man’s eyes went down to the blood running down his chin, bringing his thumb to his skin to brush it away before grasping the boy’s chin, tilting his head with one hand while putting his wand-tip to Alice’s cheek. His bite was wordlessly healed and cooled, and Alice still found himself speechless, unable to word his feelings at the moment.

“You may sit.” Voldemort broke the silence, returning to his chair. The air between them was sparked with energy that Alice couldn’t understand, but he refused to say anything about it. He sat down gingerly and sighed, allowing himself to relax in the chair. He knew it would be stupid to ask if he’d do it again but he knew the lingering damage that the cruciatus could have if it was used too much. He didn’t want it so badly that he’d risk his sanity… if it was still in tact.

Actually craving it made him question his current state of mind.

“I want you to do something for me, Alice.” Voldemort’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “I want you to get close to Harry Potter.”

Alice didn’t expect the command, straightening up and tilting his head curiously. “Get close to Harry Potter.” He repeated.

Voldemort grinned. “You two know each other well, I want you to… earn his trust. Do what you can to get closer to him, Alice. Do that for me until I tell you otherwise.”

Alice thought about it, technically he was already doing that but it was on his own curiosity. What was Voldemort going to make him do once it happened?

Putting Harry Potter under the Cruciatus was one thing, but actually _killing_ him? He couldn’t imagine even going through with that. He carefully occluded that thought and nodded anyway. “I can do that.”

Voldemort smiled again, which wouldn’t stop being unnatural. “You’re doing good so far, just go a little further.”

Alice stilled, wondering what he meant by further. The image of what happened before Christmas holiday replaying itself in his mind, and Alice forced himself to stare at something else. The reaction had Voldemort chuckling, but he didn’t know why.

Then Voldemort stood, “We shouldn’t be keeping the others, I would stay longer but I only allowed myself an hour out of my busy schedule to visit you.”

Alice stood up as well, not knowing what to do. Did he shake his hand or…? He decided to bow instead, thinking about pureblood etiquette before he tried anything else. Voldemort mirrored the action and grinned, removing the privacy spells upon the door and leading him out.

Alice returned to the drawing room first, seeing that Draco hadn’t left the room. Their eyes met and Draco presented him with a look of worry. Voldemort had gone elsewhere to look for Lucius.

“What happened?” Draco went over to him immediately, taking his hand.

“I guess I’m just popular.” Alice pulled on his best cool smile, shrugging freely.

Draco smacked his arm lightly, because it was like Alice to be so nonchalant over visiting with the Dark Lord.

* * *

Two hours after Voldemort had officially left, Severus had flooed himself into the manor. The look on his face was well guarded, but he moved with haste. Alice was playing wizard’s chess with Draco when he arrived, the boy’s eyes finding Severus instantly as he smiled. “What’s going--”

“Did he mark you?” Severus went over to him quickly, grabbing his left arm and yanking the sleeve up forcefully. Alice stilled as it happened, watching the mask break as relief flooded Severus’s features at the sight of the markless flesh.

“Um, what are you doing?” Alice asked, though he had a pretty good guess.

“I’m making sure you didn’t do anything stupid.” He let go of the boy’s arm, “We’re leaving, you can’t be here anymore. I can’t risk it.”

Draco stood up when Alice did, looking over at his godfather, “Leaving? But he still has two weeks!”

Lucius entered as soon as he heard the commotion, calling Alice’s attention towards him. The man didn’t look like he was shocked at Severus’s presence, no, he looked like he was the one to alert him.

“Father, please tell Professor Snape to change his mind.” Draco went to him immediately. “Nothing happened!”

“This isn’t up for debate, Draco.” Severus said in a stern voice, snapping his head towards Alice. “Retrieve your things at once!”

Alice opened his mouth but shut it, looking from Severus to Lucius before stumbling out of the room to get his trunk.

“Alice said nothing happened.” Draco repeated, “Why does he have to leave?”

“Because the Dark Lord has taken an interest in him,” Lucius told him quietly, “We can’t risk the boy staying here.”

“But--”

“You’ll see him again once the term starts!” Severus barked out. “No exceptions!” He turned again once Alice came hurrying inside with his trunk, almost bewildered. He took long strides over to Alice and gestured for him to follow. Alice took one last look at Draco and gave a half-hearted wave before following Severus out of the room.

“Where are we going?” Alice questioned as Severus led them towards the entrance.

“I’ve arranged somewhere for you to stay until the term starts. No more questions until we get there.” He led Alice out into the garden, taking him beyond the grounds and outside the gates. “Hold on.” He took Alice’s arm and suddenly they apparated away.

Alice felt the tugging sensation instantly but as soon as it came it had quickly left, and Alice was standing in an alleyway alongside a London neighborhood with dozens of wall to wall buildings. Severus led him out into the street towards a certain spot. He could catch the difference instantly once he paid a little attention to the buildings… number 11, and then number 13, but there was no number 12.

“Memorize this quickly.” Severus thrust a piece of parchment into his hands, and Alice blinked, his eyes roaming the script and mouthing the words. 

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place…_

The parchment burned up once it was in his head, and he looked back up. Before his eyes a building emerged between number 11 and 13, an entirely unseen building he did not see before. Alice swallowed thickly, looking eerily calm at the sight.

His old home was also under a fidelius charm.

Severus grabbed his arm and led him towards the door, opening it and ushering him inside.

The building looked bigger on the inside than the outside, it appeared to be a mansion. Though, it was dark and musty and had probably seen better days. The further Alice walked in the more he could hear voices. Severus swept past him, taking caution towards the wall with the covered up painting and turning back to put his finger to his lips, gesturing to said painting.

Alice glanced at it and nodded, taking care in passing the spot. Once he stepped into the main room he stopped instantly, as well as the others who were in the room. Weasley and his sister stared in dumbstruck horror at Alice’s presence, Harry was sitting across from Weasley in their own game of wizard’s chess.

Alice had forgotten to school his reaction, looking from the three of them to the…

“That’s Sirius Black.” Alice said in his own bewilderment, pointing out the obvious. The man returned his stare with an annoyed glower, clearly unhappy that he was here.

“Yes, yes it is.” Harry said to break the tension. “I should introduce you properly. Sirius, this is Alice Blackwood. Alice, this is--”

“Oh we’ve met.” Sirius said abruptly, “I’ve seen him plenty of times. Though… the last time I saw him, he looked a little more _Snivelly_.” He cast a sneer towards Severus, who instantly bristled.

Alice didn’t understand that, “Where the hell am I?”

“You’re in my family’s ancestral home.” Sirius answered quickly, “Be polite to your caretakers, unless you’re like your godfather.”

“Black, quit attempting to bait me.” Severus growled out, turning to Alice. “You’ll be staying here up until the term starts. You will abide by the rules that are given to you and you will do your best to not _start any fights_.” He cast his attention to the other two boys as he said that before turning back to Alice.

The boy looked along the group, a few more Weasleys joining the scene, one of them the matron. While her sons were giving Alice weary looks she didn’t give him any look of hatred, smiling kindly at him. “Welcome dear, would you like some tea?” She smacked one of the Twins on the chest, “Fred, take his trunk to the boys’ room.”

The Twin looked amusedly offended, “I’m George mum!”

“He’s not sleeping with us is he?” Ron cried out indignantly.

“Yes he is, and you will be nice to him!” Molly admonished, “He’s a guest in this home.”

Alice was blindsided, not really expecting a show of kindness from the matriarch of the Weasley family but here he was, standing stupefied in his spot while she admonished her youngest son.

George bit back what he was about to say before moving over to Alice to take his trunk, giving him a weary glance. Alice found control of his legs and went over to the empty chair, sitting down cautiously.

Molly had left to make Alice some tea and Harry knew that everyone was staring at Alice, biting back a groan as he decided to carry the olive branch. “Do you play wizard’s chess, Alice?”

Alice took in the question, giving Harry one of his aloof smiles, “I was playing it before I came here, and I was _winning_.”

Ron’s ears went red, looking at Harry pleadingly, “Harry, _mate_ ,”

“Ron is pretty good at the game.” Harry ignored his friend’s pleas. “Do you think you can beat him?”

Fred snorted, “Nobody can beat Ronnikins.”

“He’s brilliant at wizard’s chess.” Bill agreed.

Alice thought about that, looking pointedly at Ron and grinning slightly. “Is that so?” He wondered just how good the boy was. Immediately the confusion and awkwardness of the arrival drained away, and he knew it was Harry’s doing.

Harry got up from his spot. “Let’s see you play, Blackwood.” He said challengingly.

Ron continued to complain and beg his way out of it until Alice sat into the opposite chair, crossing his legs and assuming a neutral position. Thankfully for Alice, he had the best poker face in Hogwarts. “Let’s try it.”

* * *

  
  


Ron was not just good at wizard’s chess, he was a master. Alice found himself challenging him about three times, trying to win one game because he just couldn’t admit defeat. Every time Ron said “checkmate” his shit-eating grin appeared, taunting Alice. He wasn’t bad with wizard’s chess, but he was able to beat Draco only once or twice in every five games. When it was time for dinner, Alice conceded and forced himself not to get upset over the three losses. The whole time they played Harry was sitting in the middle, watching both of them equally.

He was so absorbed into the game he forgot that the others were staring at him, and once he sat down at the table, those stares were back. He found himself sitting next to Granger, who was mildly concerned over his presence.

“So is this where you lot live?” Alice asked after an uneasy silence.

The answer wasn’t forthcoming, nobody knew how to answer that, given who Alice was.

“This is a temporary arrangement dear.” Molly said calmly.

“I think he has the right to know.” Harry said with a frown, catching shocked looks from his friends.

“What do you mean he has the right to know?” Ginny hissed out, “He’s a Dark wizard!”

“Ginevra!” Molly shouted, “Not at the dinner table.”

“Well he is.” Ginny bit out, “There’s no hiding it. He’s here because of You-Know-Who.”

“He’s here because Professor Snape wishes for him to be protected from You-Know-Who, Ginny.” Remus said calmly, “Don’t call him a Dark wizard just because he’s a Slytherin.”

“He knows Dark magic!” Ron blurted out.

“Ronald!” Hermione warned.

“What? It’s true!”

Alice was attempting to eat without getting into an argument, doing his best to keep his temper.

“Of course he does, he’s Snivellus’ child.” Sirius wasn’t surprised in the least. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he had the Dark Mark now. Snape had in seventh year.”

Alice set down his fork, finally looking up at Sirius and narrowing his eyes. He stuck out his left forearm much to everyone’s shock, rolling up his sleeve and exposing the clean skin. “Why don’t you try that again, you convict.”

Sirius went for his wand but Remus stopped him. “There’s no need for name calling,” He said reasonably. “No one’s claiming that you’re a Dark wizard, Alice.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Dark magic--” Alice said without any inflection in his voice.

“There! I _knew_ it--”

“--if used reasonably with control.” He finished, louder than his first words. He narrowed his eyes at Ginny, who was outright glaring at him. “Dark magic is only dark because there’s people out there that use it for evil intent, but Dark magic isn’t inherently evil. It exists for a reason. Any magic can be used for evil if you tried hard enough, but Dark magic isn’t harmful unless you intend it to be.”

There was an awkward silence in the room, the Weasley twins scanning the table and watching. Even Molly looked uncomfortable.

Alice went back to eating his meal, knowing the eyes on him. He stopped for a moment, “I would appreciate it if you’d stop staring at me. I know when I’m being stared at.” He said without looking up.

Sirius tore his eyes away, scowling. “What’s so special about Blackwood, anyway?”

“He’s the most observant person in Hogwarts.” George supplied.

“He can read just about anyone without trying,” Hermione explained simply, “all in their body language and tics.”

Sirius scoffed, “No child can do that.”

“You don’t want me here.” Alice began, finally done with his food. He folded his hands and settled them on the table.

“That’s obvious.” Sirius challenged him.

“You’re against my being here at all. You argued about letting me into this place. I saw it plain on your face as you and Severus were doing your best not to get into a fight.”

Everyone looked to Sirius, and he folded his arms over his head, “Try something a little less obvious.”

Alice smiled, “You were nearly kissed by a dementor.”

A couple of forks clattered onto their plates and Hermione gave a sharp intake of breath. Alice saw Sirius shift uncomfortably. “Your eyes say everything, they are hollow, full of broken emotions. You looked like you saw death straight in the face. Given that you were once in Azkaban and on the run two years ago, that is a pretty good assumption.”

“Blackwood.” Hermione said calmly.

“You like Harry.” Alice went on, turning his attention towards Ginny. She stilled just slightly, her eyes darting around before settling on him. Alice continued, “You often sneak him glances when you think no one is watching, and your skin pinkens when he’s in close proximity to you.”

“I think they get it, Alice.” Remus said calmly, trying to placate the boy. “With skills like that you could be a great auror--”

Harry dropped his fork, “I think we’re all ready for dessert, aren’t we? You’ll love Mrs. Weasley’s apple tart, Alice.” He said quickly above Remus’ words, casting his eyes to Alice and finding the boy glaring.

“Ginny, help me gather the dishes.” Molly requested, and the girl shot up to her feet and did her best to avoid looking at Harry.

Fred and George watched Alice, seeing his offense to the man’s question slowly being shielded off as indifference took over. He wasn’t the only one that could read people.

The rest of their meal was spent in nervous hesitation, Remus and Molly bringing up some conversational topics to try and lighten the obvious tension.

* * *

  
  


It had only been a week within Grimmauld Place but Alice was already tired of staying there. He was having to deal with a load of Gryffindors who obviously had bias towards him. He would have rather faced another meeting with Voldemort, at least he wasn’t as aggravating to be around. He missed Draco, as well.

Upon the second day a silent rule was established. Everyone left Alice alone as long as he did the same. It helped for the most part, and Alice was left by himself more often than not. The only one who took the chance to go near him was Harry and Hermione, and he didn’t know why the muggleborn was trying to be friendly with him. He could have just called her a mudblood and been done with it, but he met kindness with kindness and hostility with hostility. As long as she wasn’t insulting him, he’d leave his comments aside.

He tried to hole himself up in the room for the whole day, but the Weasley Matriarch didn’t agree with that, trying to goad him to be sociable. He didn’t quite understand the woman’s intent, she treated him fairly and without malice. He couldn’t help but watch her for the past few days.

He regretted it.

The Weasley family… made him feel like complete shit. This loving family. This loving and protective family. It was obvious in everything they did. Molly adored her children. She treated her children the way children should be treated, with love and respect and caring and nurturing. The mother was always around, always there to discipline and scold, but she was also there to care and offer sympathy. The father wasn’t a perfectionist, as much as Harry described him. He wasn’t someone who tried to raise his children to be like them. He was the stable father figure.

Never in his years of knowing him did Alice think that he’d ever be jealous of Ron Fucking Weasley, but he was. He hated him for a reason now, because he was the luckiest boy in existence. He had two parents that loved him unconditionally and would do anything for him, and it made him angry.

The anger settled into his bones and waited for a perfect time to boil over, and one day it did.

It was a small argument that didn’t matter, but in a different perspective, it was bigger than everything. He didn’t really register what it was about, all he knew was Ron and Molly were having a shouting match over what something Ron did or didn’t want to do.

Alice slammed the door open in the kitchen. “Why don’t you just be respectable to your own mother and sit down and shut the fuck up, Weasley!” He shouted, not caring that he cursed.

“Mind your own business Blackwood.” Ron cried out. “This doesn’t concern--”

“There’s children out there that have parents who don’t love them, Weasley.” Alice interrupted him. “Do you know how many people would do just about anything to have a mother like yours?” He was screaming now, unable to stop himself. “She deserves a lot more than your petulant bitching and disrespectful behavior. You don’t really understand what it’s like to be your own mother!” He sneered, “She does EVERYTHING for you and you take her for granted! Maybe if you never had a parent you’d understand how important she fucking is!”

Alice felt eyes on him everywhere, bringing him to a stop. He didn’t even know he was in tears until he touched his face, his eyes tearing away from the stunned face of Molly Weasley and Ron’s reddened glare as he turned around, face to face with the rest of the inhabitants of the house, staring at him in complete silence. Two had their wands out, Sirius and Remus, assuming he was attacking her, but upon the mere sight of his face they stepped back.

Everything registered with him and he suddenly felt naked and exposed to the entire house. He scowled, shoving his way past everyone and leaving the dining room.

He didn’t even know where he was going, he just stopped once he found an empty room and locked himself in, pressing his back to the door and sliding down to sit, his tears rolling off his cheeks in a fresh torrential waterfall that seemed to break from inside of him. He hadn’t cried like this, in all the years he remembered he hadn’t cried. He stopped crying when his father made him feel like he wasn’t allowed to. Crying was weak. Crying makes you vulnerable. Crying was disgusting and you should just suck it up and endure it, because bad things happen all the time and crying won’t solve anything.

He was crying and it was hard to stop, but he wasn’t even crying for what was logical. He shouldn’t even be crying. He was the oddity in this house. He wasn’t normal. He was the only one who had parents who didn’t love him, parents who didn’t want him to be born in the first place. He wondered how his life would have been like if his parents actually cared about him. His mother would instead look at him with love instead of revulsion. His father teaching him how to be a good person instead of ruthlessly training to be something he wasn’t. Would he be in this mess now? Would he have grown up to become friends with Draco? Would he be a Slytherin? Would his parents actually die in an explosion or would they have taken care of themselves and thought about the son that was waiting for them in school?

The what-ifs and maybes meant nothing to him.

He choked out a sob and ran his sleeve over his eyes, trying to wipe them away. He felt so damn miserable…

“Blackwood?” A knock on the door broke through his thoughts, and he recognized the voice. Why was she even here? “Blackwood, please. Open the door.”

He didn’t understand, slowly rising to his feet and moving to open the door, catching her face surrounded by that nest of frizzy hair. He tore his eyes away and left the door open slightly, heading to the nearest bed and settling onto it.

Hermione shut the door behind her, locking it and stepping further inside. “Are you okay?” She questioned softly.

Alice narrowed his eyes slightly, “What do you care?” His eyes were on his hands, his shaking hands.

The witch pursed her lips, “Harry… told us… about your past.”

His breath hitched, his eyes finding her face and seeing it plain as day, the sympathy, the pity. He hung his head. “How many is ‘us’?” He asked in a wavering voice, trying to brace himself.

“Everyone who heard you screaming.” She answered, “You don’t understand, they thought you were attacking them and once we got there… You were so quiet and reserved for the entire week and suddenly you’re screaming at Ronald. When you left in tears Harry decided to tell us why.”

Alice brought a hand to his eyes, “Great…” He shuddered, “Everyone’s going to pity the _unwanted orphan_.” He hissed out.

“Alice that’s not true.” Hermione knelt down in front of him and took his other hand. “Everyone’s concerned about you. Everyone understands why you’re like this. Even Sirius felt bad.”

“I don’t need the convict’s _pity_!” Alice choked out, glaring at her. “I don’t need anyone’s pity. This was the last thing I’ve wanted, do you think I chose this?”

“No one would choose this, Alice.” She whispered. “You’re the way you are by a horrible circumstance that you did not deserve. No one deserves that, not even you.”

Alice’s eyes were getting blurry again with tears, brushing them aside. “I don’t want to be treated differently because of this.” He said then. “I don’t want to be looked like a charity case.”

She nodded, “I’ll make sure to tell them, Alice. Just… please don’t seal yourself away, you’re going to have to come out sometime.”

He didn’t answer that, finally looking away as the tears began to stop. Hermione got back up to her feet and watched him, moving towards the door.

“Granger.” He spoke up, “None of this leaves the house. Tell them. I don’t want this to get around Hogwarts. If it does then I’m going to find the one who did and hex them.”

Hermione nodded slowly, unlocking the door and leaving. Alice was alone again after a moment, the girl’s footfalls becoming distant. He sighed heavily and laid back against the bed, trying to calm his mind. The crying had hurt, it made his chest ache and he wondered if it was due to the fact that he hadn’t done it in so long. He stayed there for as long as possible, focusing on his breaths. Even breaths, in and out, in and out. He continued the routine until he knew he was calm and collected again. Alice sat back up and breathed, knowing he had to leave the room. He didn’t want to leave the room. It would be better to just hide in the library and wait until the term started.

Eventually, he stood back up, slowly moving to the door and stopping. He hesitated, leaning against it and feeling the grain of the wood on his fingers. He had to leave. Alice took a steady breath and did his best to look indifferent, twisting the knob and leaving the room. He could hear voices coming from the first floor, soft but still audible. He made his way to the stairwell and lingered, taking another steady breath and taking a step, repeating the process until he was down on the first floor. The voices were louder now, just normal commotion. He steeled himself and made his way into the dining room.

The commotion was brought to a slow stop once he entered the door, and again all eyes were on him. He felt a cold chill go up his spine and did his best not to react. Then Harry began talking again, and the commotion went back to normal. The adults weren’t around, it was just the lot of Gryffindors. Alice just listened idly and chose an empty seat near the door. He could still feel eyes on him, looking up and back at the offender, catching Ron’s blue eyes. The boy just looked at him in a grumpy way, his arms folded before he looked away from Alice.

Soon Molly came in from the kitchen with a pitcher of milk and a platter full of cookies, interrupting everyone just a tad as she set them down. Her eyes fell onto Alice suddenly, taking in his features. She couldn’t help herself, hurrying over to him and scooping him up into a tight hug.

Alice yelped, instantly not knowing what to do. He had never been hugged in his life. Molly seemed to sense it, “You’re alright here, dearie.” She told him, “You’re not alone anymore.”

He didn’t understand why her warm embrace and kind words almost broke his facade, and he felt the tears pricking his eyes again, threatening to fall. He did his best to pull away, wanting to return upstairs.

“Mum you’re going to strangle the poor sap!” George called out, noticing his tears.

“I think he’s turning purple as we speak.” Fred chimed in, following his brother’s lead.

Molly released him after that, and Alice wobbled slightly and fell back into his seat, his cheeks flushed.

“Try some of Mrs. Weasley’s cookies, Alice.” Harry offered.

“I bet they’re better than the sweets Malfoy’s mother sends him.” Ron said then, calling everyone’s attention to him for a moment.

Alice looked over at Ron and took in the comment, and just why he said it, slowly giving him a cool smile, “I’m quite possibly sure nothing can compare with expensive sweets from France.” He replied smoothly.

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know, Alice, they’re pretty good.”

“At least my mother makes them by hand.” Ron smirked, “Malfoy’s mother probably doesn’t even cook.”

Alice reached out to take one of them, they were still quite warm. He bit into it and looked thoughtful. He wouldn’t admit it to everyone in the room that it tasted better than anything he’s had from Draco’s parcels.

“Adequate.” He said then. “Also Mrs. Malfoy knows how to cook, Weasley.”

The conversation continued, just as if nothing ever happened.

* * *

  
  


Severus returned on Saturday, both to check up on his godson and to tell Harry Potter he was going to be taught Occlumency, it had something to do with Voldemort, but Alice wasn’t allowed to know anything else. There had been a significant change between him and the rest of the Gryffindors. They had a newfound view of each other, and Alice found that he was actually getting along with them. No one glared at him, unless he was trying to defend dark magic. No one was ready to go down that route, but it didn’t concern Alice in the slightest.

He met Auror Tonks for the first time when it was time to go back to Hogwarts, as well as encountering the Knight Bus for the second time. If he had to choose between port-key and the Knight Bus, he’d take the port-key. The ride left him dazed and confused, stumbling after the Twins in his own shocked state. Alice decided to remain still until Harry got off the bus, the two of them walking together.

Alice could see it in Harry’s apprehension, from the meeting with Severus. It had been on his mind since he had talked with the older man. “What will you be doing?” He inquired, and Harry blinked, looking at Alice bewilderedly for a split second before he realized.

“I must look obvious, don’t I?” He nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Um… Professor Snape wants to teach me Occlumency.”

Alice nodded, “It’s a difficult thing to learn, but I’m sure you’ll get through it well enough. Just remember to center yourself and try to calm your mind.”

Harry watched him, “You know Occlumency?”

“Severus put me through the same training ever since summer of fourth year. It’s actually something perfectly useful when you need it.” He smiled cooly and tapped his forehead. “Keeps things private. He’s one of the best out there, it’s an honor to learn from him.”

Harry wouldn’t say it like that, that it would be an honor to learn from his least favorite professor. “If you say so.” He said solemnly, wincing when Alice suddenly pat his back. His heart began to race slightly at the touch, something he did his best to ignore.

“You’re smarter than you perceive yourself to be, Harry.” Alice said as soon as they reached the entrance, the boy soon parting from the rest of the Gryffindors to head down towards the dungeons.

Harry watched after Alice, still feeling Alice’s hand on his back, like a ghostly presence that lingered. His words repeated into his head, and it made him feel something he couldn’t understand.

Alice’s words meant a great deal to him than he realized.

* * *

  
  


Alice kept himself distracted for the rest of the day trying to do his Transfiguration homework. Yes, he was good with spellcasting, but as Draco told him time and time again, he was the worst student. If he wasn’t sleeping in Binn’s class, then he was skiving off his theory work. Writing was never his strong suit, he was all about the visual. Now if Professor McGonagall asked him to _draw_ her the five principal exceptions to Gamp’s Law, then he could give her something that would clearly give him an O in marks. Things like essays and were time-consuming and dull, and he thought it was pointless when he could already do the magic that was required.

No wonder he wasn’t anywhere near the top of the list when it came to marks.

When it was nearly time for the train to arrive into Hogsmeade, Alice was nearly finished with his essay, and he put it aside and quickly headed for the great hall, looking anxious and eager to see Draco again. The Weasleys were already there, talking amongst themselves until George pointed Alice out to the others, and Ron and Ginny watched Alice as he sat on the edge of the table, checking his watch frequently.

“He looks anxious.” said Ginny.

“He’s waiting for Malfoy.” Fred pointed out.

“Haven’t you heard? They’re a couple.” George could see Ron slowly taking in the information, becoming surprised.

“I thought they were just bloody close.”

Students began to file into the great hall and they were witness to the scene, how at just the very glimpse of Malfoy’s white-blonde hair, Alice was instantly over to the boy, hugging him tight. It looked so strange, and even Malfoy was caught off guard by the sudden gesture, but Parkinson looked overjoyed at the sight, shaking Zabini’s shoulder while the rest of their friends settled down.

“I would never think that Malfoy would catch himself a boyfriend.” Ron said finally, making a face. “I don’t see anything fanciable about the git.”

“Blackwood sees something fanciable about him.” Ginny commented as Harry and Hermione joined them. “Harry, you know Blackwood better than any of us, what does he see in Malfoy?”

Harry had his eyes on the display, watching them settle and sit next to each other at the Slytherin table. Something surged through him, a black bubbling feeling of disgust and jealousy that he still didn’t understand. The emotions disturbed him more than anything, was he…?

“I don’t really know.” He said finally, turning back to his friends. He didn’t want to think about it more than he had to.

“I think they deserve each other.” Hermione said without any shrillness in her voice. “Malfoy before third year had no one close to him, all he had were followers and lackeys. Once Blackwood entered his life he now has someone to lean on.”

“Are you listening to yourself Mione? You just said that Malfoy _deserved_ a friend.” Ron looked shocked.

“Think about it from their perspective.” She said reasonably, “We all heard about what happened to Blackwood. He had no one until Malfoy decided to befriend him. Malfoy probably didn’t know what a real friend was until Blackwood transferred here. They’re healthy for each other.”

Ginny and Ron made a face before the girl folded her arms. “That’s a little too romantic for me.”

“Can we not talk about Blackwood and Malfoy?” Harry asked abruptly, sounding a bit agitated. “It’s none of our bloody business why they fancy each other.”

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione fell quiet, looking at each other before Ron began talking about quidditch.

* * *

  
  


The first DA meetings of January was dedicated to a new array of spells. Harry and Alice decided on a routine for their teachings, for every three of Harry’s classes Alice would teach one, since Alice was still against the idea of him having to be a co-teacher. Not that he disliked teaching, not at all, he found it amusing to be in charge of a group of people and instruct them on what to do, but he wasn’t here for the sake of it. He was there under his own motives, they didn’t exactly mix with Harry’s.

His involvement in the DA was a sensitive thing, and the more Alice thought about it, the more he realized he was at risk if anything were to happen. It was at the third DA meeting that Alice decided to take care of that himself. He arrived at the Room of Requirement early, taking out his wand and tracing the tip along the doorway.

“ _Non loquetur in nomine meo, me retinere celantur._ ” He spoke it softly, watching as the spell pulsated once before becoming sightless. A smile formed on his face and he shut the doors, taking a seat and pulling a book into his hands.

Harry was the first one inside, looking slightly shocked that Alice was here alone. “You’re here early.”

He looked up from the book, “Oh, yeah, I told Draco I was leaving early.”

“Where does he think you go?” Harry asked wearily.

Alice snapped the book shut, “I only told him the truth - that I’m practicing defense spells,” he smiled wider when Harry froze dangerously, staring hard at Alice, “oh calm down, he assumes I’m doing it alone. I can’t just lie to him, now, can I?”

Harry took in everything Alice said slowly, remembering that Hermione had spoken about a jinx that would appear to those who blabbed about their meetings. Alice had never suffered from a jinx as far as he knew, the boy regarding Harry with detached amusement. “So, what makes you think he won’t go looking for you?”

“Because according to my truth, I switch my location every week, to keep myself off of anyone’s trail.” He smirked, “I’ve been doing that long before the DA formed, Harry, I know what I’m doing now. Don’t worry.”

It wasn’t long until other students came filing into the room and Harry eventually relaxed from Alice’s admission. He was honestly amazed, but he refused to show it.

Knowing Alice, he could already see it.

* * *

January dissolved into February, and near Valentines Day, Alice had a feeling that Pansy had something planned. For at least the entire week before the day the girl was pointing to both him and Draco and discussing things in secretive whispers. At least three girls were in on the plot: Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy herself. He tried to ask Blaise about it, but the boy told him that Pansy was keeping it tight lipped, even from him. He had a feeling Blaise was lying, as he was a good liar.

It was on Valentines Day that him and Draco were accosted upon entering Hogsmeade, and this time Blaise was in on it. Alice and Draco were caught by the four of their friends and blindfolded against their wishes, Draco being threatened to be hexed if he tried to take it off while Pansy done the same to Alice. They began leading the two of them away, somewhere he didn’t know about.

Eventually Alice realized they were going indoors. He had an image of a candlelight dinner in the Three Broomsticks, but he was off by a mile.

“This better be something worth my time.” He heard Draco complain, and Alice blindly reached for his hand to squeeze it. Alice felt multiple eyes on him, knowing instantly they were somewhere public.

“This is slightly humiliating, do you know that?” Alice told Pansy, who he hoped was still there.

Eventually they were pulled along and directed to sit down, and both of them could hear giggles coming from another student.

Then, the blindfolds were removed, and Alice found himself sitting before Draco on a small circular table, above him was a cherub, sprinkling down confetti…

Draco and Alice realized where they were instantly.

_Madam Puddifoots._

“I’m NOT going--”

“Yes you are.” Pansy’s voice had Draco sitting right as he got up, and Alice looked at her incredulously.

“Is this a joke?” He asked blandly, “Because it feels like a joke. There’s about five people watching and laughing at us as I speak.”

Pansy rolled her eyes, “This is hardly a joke.” She smiled sweetly at them, “Have fun on your date now, and I’ll know if you leave.” She warned through her honeyed voice, winking at them both and sauntering out of the shop.

Draco looked utterly embarrassed, putting his chin in his hand and glaring at nothing in particular.

Alice tried a smile, “Honestly this is more tame than what I thought was going to happen.” He said reassuringly.

“What did you think was going to happen?” Draco asked rudely, “I can’t imagine anything worse than this.”

“Candlelight dinner at the Three Broomsticks.” Alice replied quickly, watching Draco make a face at the option.

“You’re right… that is horrible.” The two of them fell into silence for a moment, taking orders once Madam Puddifoot appeared. There were people he recognized here, Parvati Patil sitting across from Lavender Brown, when he looked to his left he could see Cho Chang in the midst of kissing Cedric Diggory. Despite the obvious couples, it wasn’t as embarrassing as he thought it’d be. It wasn’t… public.

Once they were served with their teas, Alice pulled out his wand, tapping the table, “ _Muffliato_.”

Draco looked around, “What did you do?”

“I gave us a little more privacy.” Alice replied, putting his wand aside to take a sip of his tea. “Feel free to speak your mind.”

Draco looked relieved at Alice’s gesture, his cheeks turning pink. “This… if we’re here on Valentines Day this means something, doesn’t it?”

“That Pansy’s a cruel and vindictive witch?” Alice smirked.

“That we’re officially a couple now.” Draco corrected him.

Alice almost inhaled his tea but saved himself at the last second, putting his cup down. “...we’re that obvious, are we?”

The blonde smiled slightly, “Pansy wouldn’t have thought to do this if we were anything but.” He glanced around, “While I greatly dislike the location, it’s nearly adequate enough to be tolerable.”

At least they weren’t the only Slytherins inside the shop, Alice spotting a Slytherin boy and a Ravenclaw girl nearby. He was thankful that he put up that privacy spell. “It’s intimate… save for the cherub over our heads.” As he spoke a handful of confetti was rained down upon him.

Draco laughed, a good-natured laugh that was only meant for Alice’s ears. Alice liked that laugh, he had two previous years hearing it. Alice was slightly flushed, looking down at his tea. “What do we...do?” He asked then. “How does this work?”

“I think we just sit here and talk, Alice.” Draco cast a glance around at the kissing couples. “Just talk.”

Alice understood his apprehension to do anything other than talking, quirking his lips up into a grin. “Just be happy she didn’t bribe the Creevy boy to come and take a photo.”

Draco shuddered at the thought, “I would’ve broken his camera.”

“I’m not sure…” Alice lifted the tea to his lips again, “I would enjoy a photo of us on Valentines Day, perhaps something to plaster onto my trunk so I could return to the memory and relive your dripping embarrassment over being forced to sit here.”

“You would.” Draco snapped without the anger behind it, “If I didn’t think Pansy was standing behind that door waiting for a reason to embarrass me further I would have been out of here sooner.”

Alice looked amused, “Draco, we didn’t really have any other plans for today, perhaps hanging around Theodore, Gregory, and Vincent, but nothing _interesting_.”

“That’s another thing!” Draco said loudly, “This is a day for couples, what are Pansy and Blaise doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Alice gestured Draco to the front window, where Pansy and Blaise were looking in. “They’re taking delight at our suffering.”

Draco folded his arms, glaring down at his tea before looking back at Alice. “You don’t seem to be suffering as much as I am.”

Alice smiled, “Do you think I should be unhappy that I’m spending time with you? I admit the location is annoying, but the company isn’t.”

Draco went silent, because Alice was right. He couldn’t stay angry when it came to Alice, he had a special way of diffusing any situation and putting his mind at ease. He thought about everything Alice has done for him, since the Hippogriff incident up until the Quidditch fight. His mind lingered on the conversation he overheard Alice having with his godfather.

“Where did you learn how to fight like that?” Draco asked suddenly. “When you defended me on the Quidditch pitch. You took on both of them effortlessly and never allowed them to lay a finger on me.”

Alice blinked, thinking back to the incident. “I was pretty much forced to defend myself back in grade school.”

“Grade school.”

“Primary.” Alice clarified. “We call it grade school in America, basic schooling for no-maj-- _muggles_ that teaches us what we need.” He sighed, thinking back. “I really wasn’t a popular kid with the muggles. They thought my name was weird and often called me a girl because of it. My hair was longer at that point, so I looked like one too.” He didn’t enjoy having to think about it, “It had gotten to the point that I was cornered in the bathroom and they practically… forced me to… reveal myself, to prove that I wasn’t.”

Draco couldn’t understand what he was hearing, starting to look horrified. “That’s completely barbaric!” He almost cried. “I never assumed muggles were so--”

“Yeah, they are.” Alice rubbed his neck uncomfortably. “My dad… he really wasn’t sympathetic. He told me that if I wasn’t fighting back then I deserved it. So after that I just… learned how to defend myself.” He was looking anywhere but at Draco at that point, not really wanting to face his eyes. “Muggles disgust me, Draco. They are reprehensible and cruel. I got back at them one day using my magic, but that just made me a bigger target.” He pressed his lips together, “When I received my letter to Ilvermorny I was the happiest I had been, because I was leaving.”

Draco didn’t know if he regretted asking the question or not, reaching out to Alice’s hand and squeezing it. “Your American life continues to astound me.” He said in disgust.

“I told you before, Severus saved my life.” He said with a reassuring grin.

He decidedly omitted to tell Draco about his days at Ilvermorny, how he was still targeted due to his name, parentage, and appearance. Though, given what he had been through, it wasn’t as horrible as with the muggles, and that he learned that it was going to happen whether he liked it or not. He wouldn’t have been sorted into Slytherin nor gravitated to Draco otherwise. Alice was on the other side of the coin now that he was in Hogwarts, and he felt like he earned his placement through the hardships he had to go through.

If he hadn’t been so lucky as to leave Ilvermorny, then he would have eventually turned the tables there and ruined many lives to make them understand who they were dealing with.

They fell back into a mutual silence after that, Draco’s hand still on Alice’s. He didn’t really expect it, but Alice was rather enjoying this impromptu date, but the longer he watched Draco, the more he could sense that another question was coming.

“This has been on my mind for ages.” Draco began, seemingly uncomfortable with his question. “You don’t have to answer, but… why are you able to see the thestrals?”

Alice considered it for a moment, “My dad left me alone with a dying patient in a hospital.” He answered simply. Draco looked positively stricken at the explanation, sneering after a moment.

“If your father wasn’t dead I would find him and do him in myself.” He said hatefully, the words having a bigger effect on Alice than he realized. The boy’s mouth fell open at the admission and suddenly Alice forgot where he was, reaching out to grab Draco by his robes and pulling him forward to give him a fleeting kiss.

“Alice!” Draco wasn’t the only one who hadn’t forgotten where they were, and by the time they parted he knew a few students were staring. He looked absolutely flushed. “What in Merlin’s name was that about?”

Alice couldn’t stop smiling. “If you couldn’t figure it out I’m not going to tell you. Now it’s my turn.” He placed his chin in his hands, “What was your childhood like before Hogwarts?”

The question wasn’t that bad, and Draco finally attended to his tea, using his wand to reheat the cup. “Well, I will say that it was completely different than your own childhood. Except for one thing.” He took a drink, thinking. “Well, my mother had this interest in Victorian Era dress robes, and until I was six she had it in her mind to dress me in girls clothing. Frilly dresses with lace and the like.” He scrunched his nose, “She made sure to take photos of every single outfit as well.”

Alice grinned, “I’ll be sure to ask her to show me those the next time I see her.”

“I shouldn’t have even told you.” Draco set down the cup, slightly offended, “Here I am trying to make you feel better and you wish to collect embarrassing photographs.” He dared Alice to deny it, because Draco _knew_ him.

“Oh, come now, I wouldn’t take any to embarass you,” Alice said innocently, “I bet you were the most beautiful boy.”

Draco went pink, regretting the story already, “Alice,”

“Were the dresses pink or blue? I would guess blue to offset your eyes.”

“Stop.”

“You probably had little tiny hats as well.”

“I mean it.”

“But Dwaco, I wanna see how pwetty you were.” Alice pouted.

Draco was glaring at him, “Did you wear a dress when _you_ were a toddler?”

Alice relented, still pouting at him. “You are, you know.” He said quietly.

“I am _what_?” The blonde asked, waiting for another joke.

Alice looked away, “Beautiful.”

There was silence again, but this time it was because Draco was too stunned to say anything, so he decided not to. He looked towards the front windows, seeing that Blaise and Pansy were gone. “Let’s go.” He said then.

Alice looked back at him, blinking, “Let’s go? I thought we were stuck here.”

“They’re gone. Come on, I want to leave.” Draco got up, and Alice reluctantly followed him.

“I don’t see why we should leave now, we were having a good time.” The noirette said morosely.

Draco glanced at him, “I don’t want to go about snogging you in public, Alice, we’re going somewhere private for that.”

Alice nearly got his foot caught in the chair, stumbling over to Draco with a nervous laugh and heading for the door as Draco paid for the tea.

True to his assumptions, Blaise and Pansy weren’t outside, and Alice smiled, intending to thank Pansy later.

* * *

  
  


The DA classes continued, and so far no one had been found out. Draco wasn’t pleased that Alice was still leaving for an hour to practice his defense spells but he still never said anything about it, as the blonde knew that Alice would do what he had to if it meant advancing himself further in his studies.

“I wish you would focus on your homework as much as you did with your illegal activities.” Draco had told him one day before Alice left for a meeting. He just idly wondered what Draco would do if he ever found out that his illegal activities were spent with Harry Potter and his friends. The thought made him slightly unnerved. It wasn’t like he could back out now.

It was the first of April when they’ve finally come to the lesson on Patronuses. This was purely Harry’s expertise and Alice was actually intrigued and curious on how to create one. Inside the classroom Harry described that it would be harder to produce one without the presence of danger.

So far, Chang, Lovegood, and Hermione had conjured theirs, a swan, rabbit, and an otter, respectively. Alice was trying to focus on his own, working on his happiest memory. It was nearly working, but not well enough when he thought of Draco and their times together, until something clicked inside of him.

_“Expecto Patronum!”_ Alice cried out suddenly, the once intangible silvery wisp at the end of his wand taking form. His smile broadened at the sight, looking at a silvery raven that began to fly around the room. He let out a small chuckle.

Harry was there to see it happen, amazed at the sight, “That was perfect, what memory did you use?”

Alice opened his mouth and shut it, pleased that a house-elf appeared to take Harry’s attention away from his question. It was embarrassing that his happiest moment was when Severus accepted him into his home. Alice kept his eyes on the raven, watching it flutter around… until something caught his attention.

The house-elf was acting quite strangely, trying to tell Harry something he obviously was forced not to reveal. Alice could piece it together, stepping closer to Harry.

“Harry, Marietta Edgecombe isn’t here today.”

Harry was quick to come to the conclusion, as did other students around him. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” Harry bellowed. “RUN!”

Everyone panicked and headed to the door, trying to cram themselves out of the small space. Alice stayed with Harry, not knowing what to do. He was trying to think quickly. He was the one with the most to lose out of this situation and he didn’t know--

“Harry, come on!” Shrieked Hermione, snapping Alice out of his thoughts. This wasn’t time to think.

Alice moved with Harry as the boy scooped up Dobby and commanded him to return to the kitchens. “Come on!” He grabbed for Harry’s arm to race him out of the room.

“Where are we going?” Harry yelled.

“Just trust me!” Alice replied just as fast, keeping a firm hold on Harry as they ran down the corridor, they were so close to a safe spot.

Something suddenly caught both of their ankles and the two boys cried out, tumbling into the floor and skidding to a stop.

“AAGH!”

“Fuck!”

“Alice?”

Alice froze as soon as he tried to stand, sitting back down and turning while Harry turned, both of them looking at Draco. The blonde looked confused and was slowly becoming enraged, glaring dangerously at the two of them.

Before Alice could speak Draco stepped over to Alice, grasping his arm tight and yanking him to his feet. “Hey, Professor — PROFESSOR! Alice and I caught one!”

Immediately Umbridge came bursting around the corner, looking breathless yet smiling broadly. She looked surprised at the sight of Alice, not having noticed him beforehand.

“Alice?”

Draco spoke before Alice could open his mouth again, “He was covertly tailing Potter and led me to him.”

Alice looked at Draco but then tried not to cry out as Draco twisted his wrist. Alice nodded eventually to keep his boyfriend from hurting him. “Y-yes Professor, I lured Potter to Draco.”

Harry didn’t know what the fuck was happening between Alice and Draco but he knew that he was caught, seeing Umbridge stare at him like she had won the game. The stupid excuse about Alice tailing Harry was believeable, as she never would have thought that Alice was one of the illegal club members.

“It’s him!” She said jubilantly at the sight of Harry on the floor. “Excellent, Draco, Alice, excellent, oh, very good — fifty points to Slytherin for each of you! I’ll take him from here… Stand up, Potter!”

Draco dragged Alice along with him as Umbridge grasped Harry by the arm once he stood, the boy knowing that this wasn’t over for him. “You hop along and see if you can round up anymore of them, Draco,” she said. “Tell the others to look in the library — anybody out of breath — check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls’ ones — off you go — and you,” she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Draco pulled Alice away. “You can come with me to the headmaster’s office, Potter…”

Harry and Alice exchanged stricken looks and Alice tried to gesture something, but Draco smacked his other hand away, and Alice was being bodily dragged towards an empty classroom by his own boyfriend, the blonde finally releasing him once they were inside as Draco spelled the room shut.

“I should have known that you were sneaking around with Potter!” Draco hissed out, “How could you strut around in front of me for the entire year and lie right to my face?”

Alice stepped back, rubbing his wrist. “I wasn’t lying to you, Draco.”

“Bull-fucking-shite, Alice! I caught you red-handed! You were running with him!” He sounded a mixture of emotions, hurt, betrayed, angry. “Don’t try and hide the fact that you were running around with Pott--”

“I was only doing what I told you I was doing!” Alice shouted, ignoring how Draco hated to be interrupted. “I was learning Defense spells. What does it matter that I ended up doing it with Potter and everyone else?”

“Because you’ve been making me look like a fool! I assumed I meant something to you, and I should have been tipped off when I was requested to search for Potter’s little club members. Merlin, Alice, I was covering for you to everyone! Blaise, Pansy, Theodore. You’ve not only deceived me, but you’ve deceived your own house!”

“I have a good reason for doing what I was doing!” Alice told him, “I wasn’t there to betray you, that wasn’t anywhere near what I was doing.”

“What, then? Alice? What is the magical excuse that you have that will automatically save your arse?” He was glaring now, the hand clutching his wand was shaking. Alice felt like shit instantly, knowing that Draco was honestly hurt because of this. He promised Draco that he’d never do this to him and he did it again, right under his nose.

He could just tell him that Granger forced him into it, but the excuse sounded weak. He thought hard, because he knew in his soul that him working with Harry wasn’t about Harry himself, it was about his own agenda. That’s why he applied his own full proof plan to keep anyone from implicating him in any of this…

But what other reason did he have?

The longer Alice thought about it the angrier Draco became, ready to turn around and leave. He was doing his best not to show any emotion, not to allow Alice to make him cry. He was waiting desperately for something that would bring Alice back from the depths of his betrayal, some concrete evidence that he wasn’t blatantly lying to him without a plausible reason. Draco was doing his best to hang onto something he felt was slipping away from him.

Eventually, he saw Alice break down, the facade escaping him in those rare occurrences when Alice exposed himself to Draco, exposing the other’s wilting emotions. 

“Voldemort told me to get closer to Potter.” Alice finally said, looking and feeling beaten down now. It was the only explanation that would effectively make sense other than ‘Granger threatened me into it’, the strongest explanation that he had. He hated seeing Draco looking so torn and angry, the guilt flooding his features as he spoke. “At first I was brought into this against my will, and Granger threatened me into this, and so I decided to just see how it went… and then when Voldemort arrived in Malfoy Manor, he told me to use my position to get closer to Potter.” He looked away, holding his arm. “I don’t know why, but that’s what I was instructed to do.”

Draco slowly became unreadable the more Alice explained his situation. He glared again, but for a whole new reason. “Granger.” He spat. The hurt and betrayal began to take on a new form, Draco quickly latching onto the two reasons why Alice was in this situation to begin with. “The Dark Lord is why you continued this? Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked then, stepping closer.

Alice tried a smile, “It really doesn’t come up easily during conversation, Draco. I couldn’t just… tell you. I’m not sure if I was even allowed to.”

Draco got closer to him, the anger quickly becoming frustration and the hurt was dulled down to a simmer. He stopped right in front of Alice, sighing. “You’re going to be the death of me.” He said then. “Every year there’s always something happening with you.”

“I never said I was easy.” Alice quipped, challenging a grin. “I think you had about three years to know how difficult I am.” He closed the distance and hooked his arms around Draco’s neck, “I apologize for keeping this a secret, I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”

Draco leaned his forehead against Alice’s, “I’ll make sure to hold you to that. Now, tell me something.” He straightened up, now looking concerned. “How are you going to keep yourself from getting caught by Umbridge?”

Alice pulled on a wide smile at the question, making Draco get the hint that Alice had done something. “What did you do?” Draco inquired.

“I may have placed a Speak-Me-Not spell onto everyone that went into that room. No one will be able to implicate me, and any evidence will blot out my name.”

Draco couldn’t help but laugh, hugging Alice tight after that. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“I told you Draco, I’m not going to get caught.” Alice reassured him, kissing his cheek. “Granger’s not the only one who can do advanced magics.”

* * *

  
  


It was early morning when a select number of Slytherins were summoned to Umbridge’s office. Alice was one of them, and as always, he was half-asleep as he walked by Draco’s side. Early mornings weren’t his good hours, he thought idly. With him was Draco and Pansy, Millicent, Vincent, Gregory, Graham Montague, Cassius Warington and a sixth year girl he didn’t bother to learn the name of.

At the sight of the students Umbridge smiled, clasping her hands together. “Welcome each and every one of you! My favorite students.”

Alice glanced around, everyone was keeping up friendly airs. He pulled on a polite smile as well, albeit a tired one.

“I’ve summoned each one of you because you are the shining examples of what exemplary Hogwarts students are. All nine of you are, in my opinion, the best students I’ve come across.”

Alice glanced at Draco, sighing. The blonde at his side nudged his side with his elbow quickly to keep him quiet.

“You're just what Hogwarts needs right now in this dreadfully trying time. Students that are obedient to the Ministry’s rules and regulations…”

Alice zoned out the longer Umbridge was talking, repressing the urge to laugh. Oh, she hadn’t found out about his weekly illegal activities. No one could possibly say anything against him at this point, could they? He wanted to go back to his bed and sleep for another hour, possibly skip History of Magic and take a nap in the library…

“...Which is why I’m offering you a position on my special team. The Inquisitorial Squad, you all will have the power of a Professor with this position, and you will be able to maintain the proper order around Hogwarts that I require for my students. Now, if you agree to this position then I expect you to uphold the laws that this school has placed out. Nothing must be left aside. If a student does so much as sneezes wrong, I want them to have the required punishment!”

The students began to murmur their excitement, Alice staying quiet and exchanging glances with Draco. His boyfriend was grinning, the mischief in his eyes was obvious.

“Now, who wishes to help me with keeping order?” Umbridge asked in her sweetest voice.

“I will!” Chimed a chorus of students, Draco included. Alice kept quiet, looking at Draco again. Draco leaned in and began to whisper in his ear.

_“Prove your loyalty.”_

“I will.” Alice said then, watching Umbridge smile.

* * *

Alice walked alongside Draco, fiddling with the silver I on his robes while Draco stopped them every so often to take away points from students that he thought were breaking a rule… _any_ rule. He was more passionate about the Inquisitorial Squad than Alice was, and he knew why Draco made him agree to it.

Draco wanted Alice to understand what side he was on.

As they neared the entrance hall Alice could recognize Hermione’s voice and MacMillian’s face, and a shark-like grin appeared on Draco’s face as he took Alice over to them.

“Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old —”

“Now, do you _really_ want to finish that sentence, Granger?”

The group looked over to the two of them, and Alice knew that Draco looked positively giddy in his own Malfoyish way. Hermione, Weasley, Harry, and MacMillian took an extra second to look at Alice than at Draco.

“Afraid I’m going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff,” he drawled.

“It’s only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy,” said MacMillian at once.

“Yeah, we’re prefects too, remember?” snarled Weasley.

“I know _prefects_ can’t dock points, Weasel King,” sneered Draco; and Alice sighed. “But members of the Inquisitorial Squad —”

“The _what_?” said Hermione sharply.

“The Inquisitorial Squad,” Alice supplied blandly, gesturing to the silver I on their robes. “A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge.”

Hermione looked utterly stricken by Alice’s words, soon glaring at him in her own feeling of betrayal. “Blackwood--”

“Anyway,” Draco interrupted her, “members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points… So, Granger, I’ll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress… Macmillan, five for contradicting me… Five because I don’t like you, Potter… Weasley, your shirt’s untucked, so I’ll have another five for that… Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that…” He looked over at Alice, expecting him to add on to it.

Alice rolled his eyes, “Don’t bring me into your petty payback.” He argued.

Weasley suddenly brandished his wand, something Hermione stopped immediately. Draco quirked a brow at that, waiting for Alice’s input.

The noirette sighed again, “Five points from Weasley for attempting to threaten an authoritative figure.” He looked back at Draco, “Happy?”

“Very.” Draco said with a smirk, turning on his heel, “Let’s go.”

Alice met Hermione’s eyes again, but looked over at Harry, actively shrugging as if to say he had no choice before turning and hurrying after Draco.

“I can’t believe Blackwood turned on us.” Ernie whispered to Hermione, appalled.

“I can.” Ron growled, “Once a snake, always a snake.”

“They’re not serious. They can’t really dock us house points.” Hermione frowned. All four of them turned to the hourglasses, watching gems fly up as to prove that yes, they were being docked house points.

“We should tell Umbridge that Blackwood was a part of the DA.” Ernie said suddenly, turning back to them. “She would throw him out on his arse.”

“It’s not possible.” Hermione said glumly.

“What do you mean, all we have to do is--”

“Blackwood jinxed us.” Ron spoke up. “He made it so that none of us can tell on him. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“That conniving--”

“He did it to make sure he wouldn’t get caught.” Harry said then, “We shouldn’t be surprised that he did that. He risked a lot being a part of the DA as it is, it’s obvious that he’d cover his tracks.”

“If he was anything other than a Slytherin, he would have done the same thing for all of us.” Fred and George joined them, staring at the hourglass.

“I wouldn’t hate him for that.” Harry said defensively.

“Why are you sticking up for him, mate? He completely _betrayed_ us.”

“No, he didn’t.” Hermione shook her head, “Marietta Edgecombe’s face is evidence enough that _she_ told everyone. Haven’t you noticed Alice’s face? It’s perfectly clear.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Alice kept our secret.” Harry said finally, effectively shutting down the discussion.

* * *

The day became even better when the Weasley Twins set off fireworks in the castle. Alice wouldn’t admit it freely but he found it hilarious that Umbridge was being summoned to take care of every single one. He could have sworn he saw amusement in Draco’s eyes as well, though he knew for a fact Draco would take the secret to his grave.

The next day he was trying to work around Draco’s constant abuse of points, secretively giving others points for anything he found stupid, having cornered the Weasley Twins while Draco was in another class to award them fifty points each for creative intelligence in creating fireworks. That in itself seemed to better their view of him, though that wasn’t what he was going for.

Later that night they found Montague stuck in a toilet, confunded to boot. Alice volunteered to stay with him while Draco went to retrieve Severus. Alice lazily cast some charms to fill the time until his caretaker came. He allowed Severus to do his work, thinking about what Voldemort had told him. _Get closer to Harry._ Then he remembered Harry had Occlumency lessons with Severus. Curiosity caught up with him by the time Severus sent Montague to the infirmary with Draco, catching up with his godfather on the way back.

“I was wondering how Potter was doing with his lessons?” Alice questioned, and Severus stopped immediately, looking at Alice.

“How did you find out?” He questioned.

“He told me.” Alice shrugged.

“Figures that imbecilic boy would flap his jaw to the first person he sees.” Severus muttered, palming his face in irritation. “Follow.”

Alice nodded, following Severus. He had come to realize that his caretaker had a low view of Harry for some odd reason, holding a grudge against the other. He was curious about that. In the three years he’s known Severus, the man had come to learn about Alice, yet Alice had yet to learn about Severus. The man knew every single one of his secrets, especially during their Occlumency lessons. He remembered one lesson in particular, when Severus found out about his days in grade school. Severus had a look on his face that registered sympathy, a special kind of understanding.

They kept their silence long into the dungeons, up until they entered his office.

The sight of a student inside Severus’s pensieve seemed to strike Severus in the most foul way. The man seized for a split second, rage quickly taking place on his features before he took long strides over to the boy to rip him out of the memory he was viewing. Alice kept his mouth shut as Severus shouted at Harry, effectively chasing the other out.

When the jar of cockroaches shattered against the doorway Alice winced badly, taking out his wand to clean it up.

“Leave it.” Came his caretaker’s tense command.

Alice turned to Severus, catching him stooped over a table, his hands pressed against the stone. Alice instead spelled the door shut and locked it.

“You should leave.” He said after a moment of silence.

“He saw something he wasn’t supposed to see, was he?” Alice questioned, receiving a glare in return. Alice refused to move.

“Go, I said!” He shouted.

“I would, but it’s pretty unfair to me, isn’t it?”

Alice endured the smoldering glower, not even wincing. “I mean you’ve pretty much seen me at my worst, you’ve seen every inch of my horrible past. When I broke down last year did you leave me alone? You forced me to talk to you. Now, I’m aware you’re my caretaker but I believe the road should go both ways, should it? I barely know anything and you know everything.”

There was a long silence after that, and Severus kept himself still as he processed everything. What Potter had seen, what Alice had said. It was true, he had seen Alice’s worst memories. Their pasts were similar. “Some things are too painful to relive.” Severus said eventually. “What Potter had just seen was one of the worst memories leading up to the biggest regret I’ve ever had.”

Alice pulled up a chair to sit, crossing his legs and resting his chin in his hand. “I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to do it on purpose.”

“You don’t understand my relationship with Potter. That boy is the son of my worst adversary, the sole bane of my existence. They’re frighteningly similar, arrogant and pompous, always looking for attention and trying to get themselves into trouble.”

“Actually,” Alice spoke up, ignoring his glare, “If you take the time to read him, he’s the opposite. He’s pretty shy and unsure of himself, he loathes attention. He doesn’t even look for it, everything just falls into his lap.” He stilled, catching the man’s ire. “I don’t mean to defend him, I’m only telling you what I see.”

He took a moment, not really wanting to think about Potter after what he had done. “Why do you defend Draco?” He asked suddenly.

Alice blinked, “What?”

“Don’t play dumb.” He hissed out, “I’ve seen your years at Ilvermorny. You were the target of vicious purebloods like him, often tormented for your parentage. Instead of rejecting him you often join in with his jeering.”

Alice knew it was a way to take the focus off of himself, but he wasn’t going to say it. They both knew the truth. “My days at Ilvermorny were a breeze compared to grade school.” Alice said off-handedly, “I know it looks odd, that I’m so insistent on being Draco’s boyfriend despite his cruel demeanor towards those he deems lower than he is. It only makes sense that I would try to distance myself. But I told you before, behavior like that is going to happen whether I like it or not. There’s always going to be someone that insists on tormenting the weaker boy for any small reason. Honestly, after seven years of being on the bottom I’m feeling pretty good about trying out the other perspective. It feels good to be the one in the position of power, but unlike Draco I’m not going to let it go to my head. If I stayed at Ilvermorny then I would have overturned the hierarchy with my own talents and done the same thing… that and Draco is worth knowing despite his faults.”

The way Alice was talking sounded so dreadfully familiar, the story of an unloved and unwanted orphan who began his life being the victim of an unfortunate circumstance and slowly rising up into a position of power by his own talents alone, but the story would continue with the power slowly corrupting the boy and turning him into a Dark wizard that was to be feared.

This is why the Dark Lord is so interested in him.

He sees _himself_ in Alice.

Severus watched Alice steadily, taking in the boy’s listless stare. No, Alice would never be Voldemort. Alice still had a sense of morality inside of him. Alice was still sane. Alice wasn’t truly dark. Though, if Voldemort got to him, he definitely would become that way.

Alice’s parents had done this. They had made him into something that could tip the scales of war. They tried to ingrain him so much into something good that he’s easily influenced by everything and anything dark. Severus wasn’t stupid, he knew Alice had been reading his Dark Arts books. He knew what Alice practiced. He knew that if Alice was left with Voldemort long enough then he would be beyond saving.

Alice eventually broke eye contact, looking away. “You don’t have to talk about it, you know.” He said finally, referring to the memory. “I understand the want to keep things to yourself. I’m not going to try and violate your personal privacy in order to know you better. All I’m offering is an ear, I heard from a good teacher that talking it out is cathartic.” He smiled slightly at Severus, recalling his break down in fourth year.

Severus had never had someone in his life as close to him as his godson. He never allowed anyone to get as close to him as his godson. After three years of teaching and housing him, he had started to realize that this was as close to having a son as he could get. Having Alice in his life seemed to have given him a perspective he didn’t know he wanted. He now had someone to care for, who cared about him in return. Alice wouldn’t have stayed if he didn’t wish to understand his godfather more than he was required to. He wouldn’t have asked. If he wasn’t here at this moment in time Severus would have still been enraged and stricken with worry that Potter would be talking to anyone and everyone about what he saw. Not like he wasn’t prepared for such a thing. He had enough shite in his life to thicken his skin for any sort of backlash. Though, it didn’t mean that it wouldn’t hurt any less. Life wasn’t fair to Severus Snape.

Life also dropped Alice Blackwood into his lap, a boy who knew what it was like to be in Severus’s shoes.

Alice didn’t expect his godfather to tell him anything, which was okay. He understood how difficult it would be to deal with such sensitive topics. He blinked then, grinning suddenly and standing up. “I want to show you something.” He pulled out his wand, thinking of using it as a good distraction from Severus’s problems.

Severus looked over to him, keeping a good control of his emotions. “What is it?” He was curious as to where Alice was going with this distraction.

“Well,” Alice couldn’t meet his eyes, “I recently learned something new, and I… well… fuck it.” He breathed, extending his wand, “ _Expecto Patronum!_ ” 

The darkened office was suddenly engulfed in brilliant light as the spell took form, a glowing white raven appearing from the end of Alice’s wand and taking flight, heading towards Severus and looping around him twice before flying back to Alice. Severus was caught by the sight, extending his hand to touch it when it looped around him for the second time and then directing his eyes back to Alice’s. The boy looked dreadfully happy yet embarrassed at the same time.

“The memory that created it was when you took me into your home.” Alice said quickly, extending his arm so that the bird could perch there.

Severus had no words. He couldn’t think of anything to say. Before him stood a boy whose happiest memory was of _him_. A man who had no reason being anyone’s happy memory was the reason for his godson’s patronus.

When the bird finally dissolved into wisps of light the two of them were back in silence. Alice finally met his caretaker’s eyes, smiling slightly. “I thought… you’d like to know.” He said quietly.

“I believe… you’re the first decision I’ve made that I haven’t come to regret in the slightest.” Severus said eventually, finally leaving the desk to approach him. Alice kept himself still, taking in the statement and discovering that he was speechless over it. Severus placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder, ushering him towards his desk.

He was right, talking it out was cathartic.

* * *

Overnight, Alice grew a new understanding with his Godfather, and it nearly made Alice feel like he had something as close to a (good) father than he had before. It was a pleasant feeling that put him in a better mood, something Draco noticed instantly. It carried on into his career advice meeting, something he hadn’t thought of at all. He wasn’t sure of anything but it didn’t really bother him, knowing that he was possibly going to be working with Voldemort. Though, that wouldn’t buy him anything would it? He then remembered his DA meetings and how good he had felt when he was in charge.

“I would like to try my hand at teaching Defense.” He said to Severus, taking in the man’s recognition.

After getting the needed information on what he would have to do in order to teach at Hogwarts, Alice inquiried Draco on what he would do after Hogwarts. He wasn’t surprised when the other boy honestly told him that Malfoys held positions of power and he would most likely be part of the Ministry following in his father’s footsteps, which led to Alice attempting to sway him on something better than what his father expected of him.

“You’re brilliant enough to do anything, don’t go for the easiest option just because it fits for your father.”

Alice didn’t know if those words reached Draco at first, until the boy showed his appreciation in an empty corridor. He admired that about Draco the most, he showed his affection in private away from prying eyes, instead of flaunting him around like he was just a trophy as he did the first year they met. He was completely serious about their relationship, which made sense considering how badly he reacted when Draco discovered Alice was with Harry.

Easter holiday was spent at the castle with friends. Pansy continued to goad Alice into drawing her until Blaise offered to do it instead. It would have been a sweet gesture if Blaise knew how to draw as good as Alice. He lent the boy his sketchbook for it, and what Pansy got in return was an abstract piece that made her give him the silent treatment for three days. Alice kept the page and decided to try his hand at sketching his female friend, only he did it in private away from prying eyes. The last thing he was going to do was expose this to the public.

Sketching females was harder, as the lines were softer and you had to get the shapes down right lest you offend someone for drawing them disproportionately. What he got in the end was passable and a good start, and Alice idly wondered what Daphne would look like on his sketchbook.

* * *

  
  


The Weasley Twins managed to impress him yet again. Alice didn’t know conjuring a swamp in the middle of the corridor was possible but there it was, murky and green and staring back at him. He was there when the Twins were caught by the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad, inside the entrance hall when they decided that they had enough of everything and summoned their brooms to leave Hogwarts. Honestly, Alice couldn’t blame them. Given who was in charge of the school it wasn’t a surprise that a couple of students decided to leave. If he didn’t have any ties that held him here than Alice would have done the same.

The swamp, however, was hard to get rid of. He tried it under orders and it was nearly impossible. It made him want to visit their shop in the future, because their magic work was astounding. He was certainly impressed, but more impressed that the Twins inspired such mutiny in the school. He was so inspired that he made sure to thank the Weasley Twins by putting a niffler in Umbridge’s office, since he was on the Inquisitorial Squad. Though, being on the Inquisitorial Squad, he had to defend himself from hexes from other students who wanted to take him down, those that didn’t know how good he was at Defence. He ended up sending five students to the Hospital Wing by his own self-defense, one time while he and Draco were together. After a week of madness was another quidditch match. Instead of sitting with Slytherin, he was forced to sit with Umbridge, as the Pink Terror was paranoid about being attacked.

At least he was sitting with Draco, Alice thought, listening to the chants of the Slytherin stands and setting his hand on the seat. Draco’s hand seemed to find his, and without looking Alice took it, his eyes wandering the stands and noticing Harry and Hermione leaving with Hagrid. He watched them disappear, wanting to follow after the two of them, but he knew that if he left right now then Draco and Umbridge would ask questions. Alice sighed, keeping his hand in Draco’s and just letting it slip by. He had been trying to study with Draco for OWLS and he was exhausted, all Alice wanted to do was sleep.

Draco jumped slightly when Alice leaned against his shoulder, the noirette shutting his eyes. “Wake me up when it’s over.” He said tiredly.

Draco chuckled, giving a quick glance at Umbridge, who was too into watching Gryffindor be pummeled. “Don’t snore, you’ll give yourself away.” He said quietly.

Alice smiled slightly.

* * *

  
  


OWLS were hell.

Alice hadn’t studied so much in his life. He didn’t like it, he was awful at it. He wanted to go out and catch the snitch at night but Draco was making sure that he didn’t go anywhere he wasn’t supposed to. Being part of the Inquisitorial Squad meant that he had to act like a good little Slytherin student, and Alice hated it.

Though, he caught wind of seventh years selling potions and elixirs that had things to do with the brain, to increase mental agility or concentration, he needed a whole flurry of pepper-up potions and was able to buy them from a seventh year Slytherin while Draco was still getting dressed. Though, trying to buy Baruffio’s Brain Elixir from a Ravenclaw named Eddie Carmichael ended up with Draco snatching the galleons away from the Ravenclaw’s hand and earning him a dock in house points for trying to cheat students out of money, then proceeded to tell him to offer it to Harry and Weasley.

By the time it was OWLS, Alice felt like death. The pepper-up potions helped him keep awake during the theory, but Blaise had warned him about overdoing it. It was only in the afternoons upon the practicals that he was able to de-stress and have fun with it, because he was always better at the practicals. Thursday, however, was his best day, as it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was on cloud nine the entire day, having swept through both the exams and practicals. Umbridge seemed quite impressed that he knew his Defense that well, which made him hold back a cringe. He didn’t like it when Umbridge appraised him.

So the next day before Ancient Runes theory he put another niffler in her office.

It was during the Astronomy practical that something strange happened. Harry seemed to be the first to notice, then Hermione, and gradually everyone was a sight to the incident with Hagrid and his hut. Alice sat next to Draco, and even he was transfixed with the sight. He didn’t get a word in, looking at Alice from time to time before shrugging in disinterest and going back to marking his star chart. Alice realized there was nothing to be done on his end and did the same as his boyfriend, filling out his star chart while the Gryffindors watched on in their own shock and awe. Harry and Hermione seemed to be the most affected by the incident. Everything only seemed to get worse when everyone took the History of Magic exam and Harry suddenly collapsed and started screaming. He made a move to get up but caught looks from Draco instantly, and soon Alice sat back down, sighing heavily. He couldn’t do anything for Harry as long as Draco was with him.

Later that night he was with Millicent and Draco, doing rounds when Professor Umbridge appeared suddenly, she looked positively enraged and Alice stiffened slightly, thinking back to the nifflers. He looked at Draco, and Draco looked at him. He had no clue about the nifflers at all.

“Come with me at once, this is urgent!” She said in a strong shrill, and Alice nodded, following Draco as they all began to make their way back up to her office. Along the way Alice could begin to hear the song _‘Weasley is our King’_ and Umbridge snapped her fingers at the sight of Hermione. At the sight of Umbridge and the three Inquisitorial Squad members, she began to run.

“Grab her!” She commanded Millicent, and the girl nodded and did as she was told. Hermione didn’t get that far until she was hit with a tripping hex, the bigger girl grabbing her by the collar. Alice winced, but hid his reaction pretty well as Hermione was dragged to her feet, her wand wrestled from her grasp. Umbridge held a nasty glower, staring her down. “What are you doing here so close to my office at this hour young lady?” She asked darkly.

Hermione figited, trying to keep her mouth shut but her eyes were giving her away. Alice tried to stress that tell to her with his own look but she didn’t look at him long enough. Umbridge seemed to get an idea at the moment, grinning slowly and turning to Alice. “You can read anyone, can you dear?” She asked in a sugary tone.

Alice swallowed thickly and nodded, finally catching Hermione’s attention. Her eyes went wide. “Yes, Ma’am.” He replied.

“Well, tell me what she’s hiding.” Umbridge ordered.

Draco looked at Alice and so did Millicent, and Alice could see Hermione shaking her head ever so slightly. Her body language was clear, she was hiding something, or someone. “She’s keeping lookout for someone.” Alice finally said.

Umbridge looked satisfied, “Oh, I knew this already, but I just needed the evidence.” She snapped her fingers again, “Come.”

Hermione looked scandalized, unable to say anything as Millicent dragged her further down the corridor and into the office. Alice could see it clearly, Harry bent down at the fireplace with his head in the fire, using the floo. He was shouting. Draco looked purely entertained at the sight and propped himself against the windowsill. Millicent stepped aside and Alice kept himself at the desk. “You think,” she whispered, bending Harry’s neck back, “that after two nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy.” Umbridge dragged him out of the floo forcefully, “Take his wand.”

Alice jumped, stepping forward to do the job before Draco could volunteer, bending down to grope at his robes and grab the tool and taking it into his hand. Something told him that Harry was in here for a reason.

“I want to know why you are in my office,” Umbridge hissed out, her fist in Harry’s hair. The boy couldn’t struggle at this point and time, and he cast his eyes on Alice.

“I was — trying to get my Firebolt!” Harry croaked. 

“Liar.” She shook his head again. “Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?”

“No one —” said Harry, trying to pull away from her. He felt several hairs part company with his scalp.

“Liar!” shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her, and he slammed into the desk. From there he could see everyone now, and Hermione cast him an alarmed look. Alice kept Harry’s wand firmly in his hand, turning towards the door as he began to hear sounds. There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Weasley, Weasley’s sister, Lovegood, and — to Alice’s bewilderment — Longbotom, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Vincent and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged.

“Got ’em all,” said Warrington, shoving Weasley roughly forward into the room. “That one.” he poked a thick finger at Longbottom, “tried to stop me taking her,” he pointed at Weasley’s sister, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, “so I brought him along too.”

“Good, good,” said Umbridge, watching the sister -- Ginny’s -- struggles. “Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn’t it?”

Draco laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed. Alice stood aside, keeping himself quiet.

“So, Potter,” she said. “You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon,” she nodded at Weasley, and Draco laughed even louder, “to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.

“Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone…”

Draco and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that. Alice remained quiet. 

Harry found he was so full of rage and hatred he was shaking.

“It’s none of your business who I talk to,” he snarled.

Umbridge’s slack face seemed to tighten.

“Very well,” she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. “Very well, Mr. Potter… I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco — fetch Professor Snape.”

Draco was enjoying this, and when he passed Alice he gave a small gesture of affection that only Harry and Alice noticed at the time, and Harry made a noise that was caught in his throat. Alice looked over at him, seeing how enraged Harry looked. Alice shrugged and stood aside.

It was a sight, so many Slytherins holding down so many Gryffindors, and a single Ravenclaw. Alice could feel all eyes on him, all of them knowing that he could end this in an instant. He cast his eyes to Weasley, and could feel the fire that was burning into Alice’s skin. He looked like he wanted to hex the other. Everyone was thinking the same thing. _Alice, please, you’re on our side. Help us._ He couldn’t do anything right now, not here. Not while he was surrounded by his own house, Umbridge and Draco. He had to keep his head low.

Harry looked back at Umbridge, who was watching him closely. He kept his face deliberately smooth and blank as footsteps were heard in the corridor outside and Draco came back into the room, holding open the door for Severus.

“You wanted to see me, Headmistress?” said Severus, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference. He caught Alice’s eyes in passing, and Alice kept his own indifference. He knew Severus was hiding his emotions at the moment.

“Ah, Professor Snape,” said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. “Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please.”

“You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter,” he said, observing her coolly through his curtains of black hair. “Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient.”

Umbridge flushed.

“You can make some more, can’t you?” she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.

“Certainly,” said Severus, his lip curling. “It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month.”

Alice knew damn well that he had more than one vial in his stores, but he didn’t give it away.

“A month?” squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. “A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!”

“Really?” said Severus, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at Harry. “Well, it doesn’t surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules.”

His cold, dark eyes were boring into Harry’s, who met his gaze unflinchingly. Alice could see it clearly, Harry was trying to get Severus to read his mind, just how Alice would when he couldn’t say anything.

“I wish to interrogate him!” shouted Umbridge angrily, and Severus looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. “I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!”

“I have already told you,” said Severus smoothly, “that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter — and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did — I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling. …”

Severus looked back at Harry, who stared at him, frantic to communicate without words. Alice swallowed thickly, trying hard to get Severus to look at him as well. If anyone could get Severus to read Harry, it would be him.

“You are on probation!” shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Severus looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. “You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!”

Severus gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. Harry looked desperate by now, and Alice felt his own tension rise.

“He’s got Padfoot!” Harry suddenly exploded, “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!”

Severus had stopped with his hand on Umbridge’s door handle.

“Padfoot?” cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Severus. “What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?”

Severus looked around at Harry. His face was inscrutable. Alice had no idea what it meant, but by the slightest tells in Severus, he knew that his godfather understood the meaning of the words. Harry looked desperate, but wasn’t about to say anything more about it, knowing who was also in the room.

“I have no idea,” said Severus coldly. “Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job.”

Alice winced when Severus finally left, and he kept his eyes on Harry. His mind began to whir then, wondering just why everyone was helping Harry use the floo in Umbridge’s room. There were at least a bunch of others who were trying to help him do this, and they wouldn’t do it just for shits and giggles. Hermione wouldn’t have went on with the plan if it was just for any silly reason. Harry seemed to have needed to contact someone important. He was mentioning Padfoot. Who was Padfoot? Was that a code name for someone? Alice thought back to everyone that Harry knew, back to his days at Grimmauld Place. Was Padfoot one of the adults there? Professor Lupin? Sirius Black? Sirius Black was Harry’s godfather, that’s all he knew. Harry had no parents, but he had a godfather… 

Alice seemed to have spaced off as he kept thinking, and Draco nudged him back into the present.

“NO!” shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent. “No — Harry — Harry, we’ll have to tell her!”

“No way!” yelled Harry, staring at the little of Hermione he could see.

“We’ll have to, Harry, she’ll force it out of you anyway, what’s … what’s the point… ?”

And Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent’s robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash her against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.

Alice blinked, looking from Harry to Hermione to Weasley as he tried begging through the gag.

Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before; Longbottom, still choking for breath, was gazing at her too. But both Alice and Harry had just noticed something. Though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear…

“I’m — I’m sorry everyone,” said Hermione. “But — I can’t stand it —”

“That’s right, that’s right, girl!” said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. “Now then… with whom was Potter communicating just now?”

“Well,” gulped Hermione into her hands, “well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore…”

Alice was too busy watching Hermione with his own eyes to notice anyone’s reactions, only hearing shifts of movement. 

“Dumbledore?” said Umbridge eagerly. “You know where Dumbledore is, then?”

“Well … no!” sobbed Hermione. “We’ve tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog’s Head —”

“Idiot girl, Dumbledore won’t be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry’s looking for him!” shouted Umbridge, disappointment etched in every sagging line of her face.

“But — but we needed to tell him something important!” wailed Hermione, holding her hands more tightly over her face, not, Alice knew, out of anguish, but to disguise the continued absence of tears.

“Yes?” said Umbridge with a sudden resurgence of excitement. “What was it you wanted to tell him?”

“We… we wanted to tell him it’s r-ready!” choked Hermione.

“What’s ready?” demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione’s shoulders again and shook her slightly. “What’s ready, girl?”

“The… the weapon,” said Hermione.

Alice quirked a brow. _Weapon?_

“Weapon? Weapon?” said Umbridge, and her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. “You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore’s orders, of course?”

“Y-y-yes,” gasped Hermione. “But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we’ve finished it for him, and we c-c-can’t find him t-t-to tell him!”

“What kind of weapon is it?” said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione’s shoulders.

“We don’t r-r-really understand it,” said Hermione, sniffing loudly. “We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do …”

Umbridge straightened up, looking suspicious.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” She asked then. Hermione stiffened slightly but it was too quick to pass Umbridge’s eyes, only Alice had seen it clearly. Hermione peeked over at Alice and fixed on a pleading look, one that he could understand clearly.

“Ask Blackwood if I’m lying!” She cried out, almost hysterically. “I’m not, honestly I’m not! He can read people clearly, right?”

“He is a human lie-detector.” Harry spoke up suddenly, giving Alice a challenging look that obviously meant that this was his time to do what he had to. Alice glanced around the room, watching the Slytherins grin while the captives looked on in abject horror, as if the plan would work against them. Alice nodded slightly.

Umbridge turned to Alice, her lips fixing a straight line. “Well, Alice, please, read Granger.”

Alice turned his head to one side and thought about it, putting on his best faux thinking face. He stepped over to Hermione and made a show of looking her over, noting every inflection and tell she had. He smirked slightly, the gesture catching Hermione’s eyes and she didn’t know how to react to that, almost horrified. When Alice was finished he looked back at Umbridge, shrugging lightly. “She’s being completely one-hundred percent honest, Professor.” Alice announced then, catching the relieved looks from the Weasleys.

Umbridge looked satisfied at the words, “Then lead me to the weapon,” she said.

“I’m not showing… _them_ ,” said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.

“It is not for you to set conditions,” said Professor Umbridge harshly.

“If I may, Professor.” Alice spoke up before Hermione could, “You wouldn’t want just about anyone to see whatever weapon they’re hiding. There’s a strong chance that it could be used against you at any moment. I would suppose, the less people who see it or even know about its existence, the better. Lest someone get an idea in their head to… play with it.”

These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge. She glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Draco, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed that had appeared on his face. She looked at Alice after that, noting his highly veiled indifference. Her eyes lingered on Alice’s, because out of everyone there, he had proven his loyalty to her multiple times tonight.

Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment and then spoke in what she clearly thought was a motherly voice. “All right, dear, let’s make it just you and me… and we’ll take Potter too, shall we? Get up, now —”

“Professor,” said Alice just then, “Professor Umbridge, I think at least one of us should accompany you.” He gave her a fake smile, “For protection purposes of course. I will sacrifice myself for your safety, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Umbridge didn’t expect such valliant words coming from Alice and she mulled it over for a moment, nodding slowly and snapping her fingers. “You may accompany us, dear, if it’s alright with Miss Granger.”

Hermione smiled stiffly, “Oh, Blackwood can come with us, for protection.”

Draco stepped forward, “Professor, what about--” 

“ _You_ will remain here until I return and make sure none of these” — she gestured around at Weasley, Ginny, Longbottom, and Lovegood — “escape.”

“All right,” said Draco, looking disappointed that he couldn’t join Alice or see the weapon.

“And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way,” said Umbridge, pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. “Lead on…”

Alice kept his smile hidden as he followed them, sliding Harry’s wand in his pocket.

The march down the corridors towards the entrance hall was filled with tension, Alice didn’t see Harry or Hermione’s face, bringing up the rear as they followed the three down. Alice could hear the discussions held within the great hall, students going about their nights without a clue as to what was happening outside of those walls. No one else knew that there was a plot afoot, or that Alice was aiding and abetting in a would-be crime.

Which had him wondering, what sort of crime would they be involved if Hermione was leading Umbridge out towards the Forbidden Forest?

“It’s hidden in Hagrid’s hut, is it?” Alice could hear Umbridge’s anticipation in her voice.

“Of course not,” said Hermione scathingly. “Hagrid might have set it off accidentally.”

“Yes,” said Umbridge, whose excitement seemed to be mounting. “Yes, he would have done, of course, the great half-breed oaf…”

Alice rolled his eyes, able to show his irritation with the woman’s back to him. He could see how Harry looked tense, as if he wanted to attack her. He had a high view of Hagrid, it seemed.

“Then… where is it?” asked Umbridge, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice as Hermione continued to stride toward the forest.

“In there, of course,” said Hermione, pointing into the dark trees. “It had to be somewhere that students weren’t going to find it accidentally, didn’t it?”

“Of course,” said Umbridge, though she sounded a little apprehensive now. “Of course… very well, then… you two stay ahead of me.”

Alice held back a snort of amusement, hearing how uncertain she was becoming, when a moment ago she was excited beyond measure. The fool.

“Can we have your wand, then, if we’re going first?” Harry asked her.

“No, I don’t think so, Mr. Potter,” said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with it. “The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I’m afraid.”

“Professor,” Alice decided to catch up with her then, smiling his patented fake smile, “I still have Potter’s wand with me, shall I hand it to him?”

With the sudden offer Umbridge looked suddenly thoughtful, almost torn. She was hesitant but she needed to make sure she wouldn’t be in any danger. But… she wouldn’t be in any danger, would she? Alice was with her. Alice was her protection against anything unseemly. She smiled after that, regarding Alice with her saccharine voice. “Of course you may, dearie.”

Alice lightly jogged to Harry, giving him a good glance, seeing the other stare at him without words. Harry looked a mix of shocked and appreciative, and Alice smiled smoothly, taking Harry’s wand out of his pocket and handing it to him. “Remember, anything out of line and I will fire first.” Alice said warningly, more of a show for Umbridge than anything else.

Harry nodded, “Right, Blackwood.” He answered with his own hidden grin.

They reached the forest, it was darker inside the thicket of trees than out in the clearing, but Hermione didn’t let that stop her, stepping inside without hesitation. Harry followed her, casting _lumos_ on his wand. Alice kept his stride, noting how Hermione deliberately made noise with every step she took. All three of them kept a quick pace, one that Umbridge was having trouble keeping with her short and pudgy legs.

“Is it very far in?” Umbridge asked, as her robe ripped on a bramble.

“Oh yes,” said Hermione. “Yes, it’s well hidden.”

“Er — are you sure this is the right way?” Harry asked her pointedly.

“Oh yes,” Hermione said, raising her voice, “It’s a bit further in!”

Alice didn’t know where they were going, but he kept hearing the tells, how Hermione’s voice was louder than it should be, and how she kept trying to make as much noise as possible with her own feet. He saw Harry lean in close to tell her to keep her voice down, something she whispered only for them to hear,

_“I want us to be heard. You’ll see...”_

Umbridge was jogging and breathing too heavily to even hear her.

They continued walking, and catching onto Hermione’s plan, Alice began to make as much noise as her, “I hope it’s a little further.” Alice called out loudly, “I want to get back before dinner’s over.” He gave Hermione a secretive smile, something she caught sight of.

“Not far now!” shouted Hermione, as they emerged into a dim, dank clearing. “Just a little bit —”

An arrow passed right through the air and came to a loud landing onto the tree above Hermione’s head, and Alice felt the tension inside of him snap. He raised his wand by instinct, casting a _lumos_ to get a better view as Umbridge cried out in her own horror. The sound of hooves shook the ground they walked on and Umbridge did the only thing she could think of, trying to use Harry and Hermione as human shields.

“Alice, be on your guard!” She shrieked.

Alice was in front of them, standing still at the sight of fifty or so centaurs aiming their bows at the lot of them, waiting for a reason to fire. He swallowed thickly, hearing Umbridge’s whimpers. He was alarmed and instantly on-edge. Was Hermione’s intent to lead them to centaurs? This was the stupidest idea she had ever thought of! Alice remembered studying about centaurs in great detail, any outcome that Hermione was hoping for was going to be a good one.

“Who are you?” A voice demanded, one of the centaurs stepping out, nearly brown in color. Alice turned to see Umbridge sticking her wand out at him, casting her eyes onto the creature. She was still whimpering, her wand trembling in fear of the mighty presence before them.

“I asked you who are you, human,” said the centaur roughly.

“I am Dolores Umbridge!” said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. “Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!”

“You are from the Ministry of Magic?” said the other, as many of the centaurs in the surrounding circle shifted restlessly.

“That’s right!” said Umbridge in an even higher voice. “So be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human —”

Alice winced visibly.

“What did you call us?” shouted a wilder looking black centaur, the others muttering angrily while tightening their bows.

“You don’t call them that.” Alice tried to reason with her, lowering his wand. “Remember what I told you about the hippogriff? Centaurs are more intelligent than you are!”

Umbridge ignored him, shaking her wand at the brown centaur, “Law Fifteen B states clearly that ‘Any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions —’ ”

“‘Near-human intelligence’?” Roared the first one, the rest of them becoming riled up, “We consider that a great insult, human! The foal is right. Our intelligence far outstrips your own —”

“What are you doing in our forest?” bellowed another, a gray one, “Why are you here?”

“ _Your_ forest?” said Umbridge, shaking now not only with fright but also, it seemed, with indignation. “I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land —”

Alice winced again, “Professor--”

Too late, an arrow shot nearly close to her head, catching her hair and she screamed, holding her head in alarm. Alice stepped back to join Harry and Hermione, about ready to give the woman over to the centaurs by now. He soon had an idea, a very risky idea that could mean death, but it was something that he wanted to take a risk for. He leaned into Harry’s ear, telling him something only he could hear. Harry nodded quickly and relayed it to Hermione, to follow his lead.

The two of them wheeled on her, “Your plan has failed, Umbridge.” Harry spoke loudly for everyone to hear.

Umbridge turned red, pointing her wand at Harry, “I knew you would turn on me--what plan are you talking about?”

“The plan to lure us all here and use us as bait to lure out the centaurs.” Alice told her. One of the centaurs roared.

“Is this the reason you are in our forest?” He shouted, “To lure us out?”

Hermione quickly realized what they were trying to do, holding her hands up. Heavens help her, this was such a risky thing to do, “F-Forgive us, we wanted to stay out of your land, we didn’t wish to come h-here, but this woman f-forced us.” she cried, “She w-wished for you to attack us in order to tell the M-Ministry that you all needed to be run out of the forest and p-p-put down!” She was growing nervous from the lie.

There was a resounding murmur of anger from the centaurs, all of them staring at Umbridge threateningly. Alice smiled at Hermione’s explanation, training his wand at Umbridge. “What you didn’t expect was that we respect the centaurs' wishes, we only want to keep peace between us.”

Umbridge looked furiously at Alice, “You’re supposed to be protecting me!” She wailed, “Why are you lying to these uncontrolled animals?”

There was an enraged howl and Alice shook his head, “We’re not going to be used by you!” He quickly flicked his wand at her, “ _Incarcerous!_ ” 

Ropes flew out and wrapped themselves around Umbridge, and she cried out, collapsing to the ground. Hermione used that moment to quickly get her wand from her hand, training it on her. “We’re s-sick and tired of you thinking these n-noble creatures are nothing but lesser beings!” She cried, nearly shaking.

The brown centaur strode up to them, eyeing them with scrutiny, “They are young, foals shouldn’t be used to slaughter our kind.”

“They may be lying!” The black one bellowed, “They’re wizards after all.”

“We’re not lying!” Harry cried. Hermione instantly became wracked with fear.

Alice turned to the brown centaur, walking up to him. It was time to prove his worth. “Look at me and see if I’m lying.” He schooled his features quickly, having all this time doing his best to lower his heart rate and even out his breathing, like his father taught him to do.

The centaur stepped up to him and stared him down, taking in his appearance. He scrutinized Alice for quite some time. Hermione held her breath, honestly in fear of becoming caught. Luckily for them, Alice knew about his magical creatures.

“His breathing is calm, and he shows no falsities.” The centaur finally assessed. “They’re being honest.”

“HE’S LYING! HE’S LYING!” Umbridge screamed, “All he can do is lie! Now unleash me and I might not have your kind wiped off this land, you beasts!”

Alice smiled inwardly. _You’re just proving me right you racist bitch._

“Seize the witch!” The black centaur bellowed, “She must pay for her crimes!”

Centaurs roared and moved to encircle Umbridge, and Harry and Hermione were pulled out of the way by another of their kind. “No one harm the foals, they are to return to where they came from.”

Umbridge continued screaming, wiggling her legs as she was carried off, “Noooooo! I am Senior Undersecretary! You cannot--unhand me, you animals! Nooooo! They’re lying! They’re lyyiiinnggg!”

By the time everyone left only the brown centaur was left with the three students, staring them down. Hermione was nearly in tears now, the shock having overwhelmed her. She _knew_ the consequences for lying to a centaur.

“I advise you all to never return, you both are nearing manhood.” He looked at both Alice and Harry. “This outcome will not happen a second time.”

Hermione nodded, her tears over the situation actually helping with the belief that they were being used. “We won’t return.” She sobbed.

“Thank you for rescuing us.” Alice told them, still veiled in his reaction.

The three of them couldn’t get out of the forest fast enough, Hermione grasping Alice’s arm once they were on the grounds. “What were you thinking?” She hissed out.

“I was thinking about getting us out of there.” Alice told her honestly.

“But you lied to the centaurs!” She whispered so her voice wouldn’t carry. “Lying to centaurs is the worst thing you can do! They would have killed you for insulting their intelligence!”

“Granger,” Alice said quietly, “If they knew you lured her there on purpose they would have killed us no matter what we said. They have an overwhelming sense of pride.” He said seriously, “I got us out and away from her to the best of my abilities.”

“But--” Hermione tried, her face streaked with tears.

“Let’s just get back!” Harry said in haste, “We need to get to Sirius quickly. I don’t care what Alice did, I’m just glad he was here to help us. We need to--”

“Weasley!” Alice tore them away to alert them to the bunch heading towards them in a rush. Ginny was at the forefront, having ran there. They looked like they were in an intense exchange of their own.

“How did you get here?” Hermione asked quickly, “Where’s--”

“Oh they got what’s coming to them. Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx,” said Weasley airily, handing back Hermione’s wand to her. “But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy — Bat-Bogey Hex — it was superb,” Alice winced badly, “his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you heading into the forest out of the window and followed. What’ve you done with Umbridge?”

“She got carried away,” said Harry. “By a herd of centaurs.”

“And they left you behind?” asked Ginny, looking astonished.

“Alice saved us.” Hermione explained. “Made up a story to get us away.”

“You lied to centaurs?” Lovegood questioned, shocked.

Alice shrugged, “If I didn’t we’d be goners.”

Weasley nodded, somewhat amazed by his feat. Lying to centaurs wasn’t something people lived through, they could also read people.

“Well, tell me something.” Alice said then, looking at Harry. “Why in the hell were you using her floo?”

“Because You-Know-Who has Sirius.” Weasley answered before Harry could speak. “He still has him, right mate?”

“Yes,” said Harry, as his scar gave another painful prickle, “and I’m sure Sirius is still alive, but I can’t see how we’re going to get there to help him.”

Nearly all of them fell silent, looking rather scared. The problem facing them seemed insurmountable.

“Well, we’ll have to fly, won’t we?” said Lovegood in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice that sounded unlike herself.

“Okay,” said Harry irritably, rounding on her, “first of all, ‘we’ aren’t doing anything if you’re including yourself in that, and second of all, Weasley’s the only one with a broomstick that isn’t being guarded by a security troll, so —”

“I’ve got a broom!” said Ginny.

“Yeah, but you’re not coming,” said Weasley angrily.

“Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!” said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.

“You’re too —” Harry began.

“I’m three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer’s Stone,” she said fiercely, “and it’s because of me Malfoy’s stuck back in Umbridge’s office with giant flying bogeys attacking him —”

Alice rubbed his temples, sighing.

“Yeah, but —”

“We were all in the D.A. together,” said Longbottom quietly. “It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn’t it? And this is the first chance we’ve had to do something real — or was that all just a game or something?”

“No — of course it wasn’t —” said Harry impatiently.

“Then we should come too,” said Longbottom simply. “We want to help.”

“That’s right,” said Lovegood, smiling happily.

From the way he looked, Harry seemed hesitant to go with the three of them. Alice could see why, Longbottom for example had a problem with his wand. The other two… he had seen them in action in the DA classes, this bunch wasn’t really the best of them.

Well, Voldemort told him to get close to Harry in any way possible.

“Why the fuck not?” Alice said then, pulling on a wry smile. “I feel like battling some Dark wizards tonight anyway.” He said airly.

Harry’s head snapped over to Alice and took in his expression, instantly feeling relieved. Alice was skilled with Defense yet he also knew Dark magic, and if anyone could take on Voldemort with Harry, it could be him. It was something he had been trying to get all year, Alice’s help in all of this, and now Alice was finally showing what side he was on.

His heart seemed to speed up at the thought, the pain in his head still overwhelming but a pleasing emotion bubbled through him.

“So, how are we going to get there?” Harry asked then, turning back to the rest of them. 

“I thought we’d settled that?” said Lovegood maddeningly. “We’re flying!”

“Look,” said Weasley, barely containing his anger, “you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can’t sprout wings whenever we —”

“There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks,” said Lovegood serenely.

“I s’pose we’re going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?” Weasley demanded.

“The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can’t fly,” said Lovegood in a dignified voice, “but they can, and Hagrid says they’re very good at finding places their riders are looking for.”

Alice had to think about it before he turned around and noticed the creatures themselves, grinning slowly and parting from the others to approach them. Harry and Weasley looked confused, but Alice didn’t pay them no mind. “They are perfect.” He had to realize that Lovegood could also see them, setting that aside for now. It wasn’t important. He reached over to pet one as it shook its head, grinning slowly.

“You mean those mad horse things?” Weasley questioned, sounding uncertain. “Those ones you can’t see unless you’ve watched someone snuff it?”

“Thestrals, Weasley.” Alice corrected him.

“Well, how many are there?” Harry questioned.

“Two.”

“We need four.” Harry said then.

“Five.” Ginny corrected him.

“There’s seven of us--”

Alice sighed, hearing them all get into another debate as to who was going or not, and he let go of the horse, “Not any more are coming until we get something to lure them out with.” He said loudly, ignoring their rants.

“How are we supposed to lure them out?” Hermione questioned.

“They feed on carcasses, the scent of blood will--”

“How are we going to find a dead body?” Weasley cried indignantly.

Alice smiled smoothly, flexing his hand and using his wand. “You don’t need a dead body, all you need is the scent of blood.” He trained his wand on his hand, murmuring a spell that sliced it open, hiding a slight wince from the action. Hermione and Ginny gasped and jumped slightly and Weasley became sick. Harry remained quiet, unable to look away from Alice as he ran the blood on his palm over his own robes. He was getting mixed emotions, from repulsion to worry to anger to intrigue, but the main one was a sense of pride. Alice was injuring himself to help Harry with finding Sirius, it was a show of loyalty towards Harry.

When it was all done Alice used _Diffindo_ to tear a piece of his sleeve so he could tie it to his hand to stop the bleeding, standing near the thestrals and actively watching them smell the blood on him. True to his word more came out, enough for every one of them to use. “I think we have enough for a ride.” He said then, confidently.

Harry did his best to feel relieved through his own anger, they were finally going to leave.

* * *

It took both Alice and Lovegood to show everyone how to get on the backs of their thestral, and with little to no difficulty soon everyone was ready to go. Lovegood instructed Harry to give them a location, in which he did, the Ministry of Magic office. It took a moment but soon they were all in the air, heading to the desired location. Alice was actually enjoying himself, ignoring the dull throbbing in his hand and enjoying the speedy flight that he was taking on his own thestral. He couldn’t help but grin in this dire circumstance, feeling like he was going into battle.

But if Voldemort was there torturing Sirius Black, would Death Eaters also be there? Would Draco’s father be there? His mind whirred. What if he was forced to fight the elder Malfoy? What if this was when Voldemort wanted him to kill Harry? Could he really cast the killing curse on his friend?

No, he couldn’t.

Suddenly Alice wasn’t enjoying himself anymore, wishing he stayed at Hogwarts to tend to Draco’s injured pride. His Slytherin self-preservation was kicking in and he was starting to feel anxious about what might happen. He was going to be caught in the crossfire between Harry and Voldemort and made to show his loyalty to one or the other. There was no good ending either way he went.

But Voldemort told him to do what he could right? Would actually fighting with Harry against Voldemort actually count towards this? He needed to keep himself on Harry’s side just for the sake of having to live with him at Hogwarts for the next two years. He remembered Harry’s bitter anger on the train when he accused Alice of being a Death Eater, how angry and betrayed he looked. He remembered his talk with Voldemort, how the offer of becoming a Death Eater sounded so nice. But now he was on the other side, Harry Potter’s _friend_ , tier two friends at this point, the boy giving him more of a reason not to betray him by being the silly Gryffindor that he was. Alice was actually getting a conscience about having to go against him, having to disappoint the Weasley Matron by fighting against her family after she treated him with love and respect. He was on both sides at this point, being pulled in two seperate directions when he didn’t want to choose either one. Was there a way to walk the fence without crossing into either side of the fight? If Severus could do it then Alice very well could do it too.

He had to play on both sides without showing obvious allegiance to either one of them, that’s what he had to do. If he was to survive this battle and however more that would appear then Alice had to do what he did best, stay gray in this divided battle between dark and light.

By the time they landed Alice had snapped out of his thoughts, watching everyone dismount and the looks of the area. There was an overstuffed trash bin and a dirty looking telephone box. He hadn’t been here before, but the way Harry was going told him that this was the place.

“Where do we go from here, then?” Lovegood had asked Harry.

“Over here,” he said, leading them to the telephone box. Alice brought up the rear, watching all of them hesitate before Harry shouted. “Come on!”

Everyone piled in and it was proving to be a tight fit, but Alice was the only one outside looking hesitant about making it an even tighter fit, no matter how lithe he was. Harry made an exasperated face and urged him forward, but Alice shook his head.

“Just tell me what to do, I’ll be right behind you.” Alice told him.

Harry looked anxious, “When you’re inside, go to the receiver and dial six two four four two. Whoever’s closest, do it.”

Alice watched as Weasley went to dial the number, listening to the conversation and nodding to himself, hearing Harry become agitated. He was very worried about his godfather from what he could gather. He watched as the box lowered into the ground and sighed, checking his watch. He should be in the dormitories by now, sketching Draco and having a laugh with Pansy and Blaise… 

“Alice.”

A voice startled him and he instantly grabbed his wand, turning around instantly to train it onto them--only to lower it. Before him was Lucius, although masked, the white hair peeking out was a dead giveaway. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in, watching the other approach. “What are you doing here?” He questioned.

“I should be asking you the same.” Lucius didn’t sound happy to see him, moreso observant. Alice looked around, noting how barren the area was. Did he have time to talk?

“It’s a long story, but I’m here with--”

“Potter. I saw,” Lucius gestured to the thestrals who were eating rotten food. “You shouldn’t be here, Alice. You should be back in Hogwarts where it’s safe.”

“I’m actually here to help Harry save his godfather.” Alice explained quietly, taking in the man’s stance. The fact that he was outside talking to Alice told him something. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Severus won’t be happy that you’re out here.” Lucius insisted, “This is nothing to discuss, go back to Hogwarts.”

“Voldemort--” He noticed Lucius flinch, “He told me to get close to Harry, so this is why I’m here, waiting for an elevator.” He gestured to the telephone box. “What are you here for?”

“The Dark Lord requests something only Potter can obtain, so he was lured here… under… false pretenses. Now that they’re inside, I should be getting back to the others.”

Alice froze, feeling a cold chill. “You’re not going to kill him are you?”

“Our orders is to only obtain what we’ve come for, not to kill anyone. Although if there’s difficulty, it may be out of our hands.” Lucius took off his mask then, exposing tired eyes. He didn’t look like he wanted anything to escalate further than it should, but Alice knew Harry by now. Three years of knowing Harry told him that he was foolhardy and stubborn, and he would _never_ back down to a threat.

“Harry’s not going to allow you to get what you want, do you know that?” Alice questioned, “It’s not in his nature to back down without a fight.”

“I’m fully aware of this.” Lucius sounded frustrated, looking at Alice thoughtfully. An idea came to him just then, and he smiled slowly. “Unless you could convince him otherwise. All we need is a prophecy, you’ll know it when you see it, but if you can deliver it to us unharmed, we won’t have to resort to violence. Everyone will leave safely.”

Alice nodded, “Prophecy… where is this thing anyway?”

“Department of Mysteries, the Hall of Prophecy.” Lucius said aloud, “If you can achieve this then you will do myself and the Dark Lord a service.”

Alice turned around, stepping away before stopping. “How are you going to get there?”

Lucius slid his mask back on, “Apparation wards have been dismantled for tonight. Now go, quickly!”

With that Lucius disappeared with a crack, leaving Alice alone. The boy hesitated, turning back to the telephone box and entering the numbers Harry told him about, holding the phone up to his ear. _“Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business.”_

“Alice Blackwood.” He said calmly, pulling on a small grin. “I’m here to party.”

* * *

  
  


From what it looked like when he arrived down there, Harry had become impatient and decided to go on without him. He didn’t seem to mind it, because he needed to form a plan between now and when he reached the Hall of Prophecy. Alice jogged at a pace, looking around the entire area and noticing that there wasn’t anyone even here. This entire place was abandoned, which further served to the idea that Voldemort planned this to be a surprise encounter. He just hoped he’d get there in time. When he made it to the elevator he instantly went for the floor that said Department of Mysteries, standing still as he waited to be lowered into the desired floor. Part of him wished that there was some elevator music to lighten up the intensity of the mood, his fingers slowly feeling the rune etchings on the lower half of his wand. This was not the time to crack a joke.

When he arrived at his destination the grilles opened, and Alice stepped out, spotting a plain black door ahead. He clenched his grip on his wand and took long strides to the door, putting his hand on the handle and twisting the knob. When he entered the room around him looked black. Everything was black, even the doors around the circular room. Alice noticed the blue flames on the wall and red firey X marks to most of the doors. Alice smirked, wondering if it was Hermione’s work, thinking that perhaps they were getting lost and she needed assistance. The fact that the doors began to spin in a circle caught him, reminding him of something he knew about from home.

“It’s Russian Roulette.” He mused to himself, looking from door to door, ignoring the doors that were obviously marked. “One will get me to where I need to go, the others are… useless.” He pointed his hand out and chose an unmarked door at random, smiling widely. “Let’s try door number one!”

He opened the door and walked right through it, entering a cold room. Alice shivered, looking around. The ceilings were high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. The orbs however, glimmered onto the ceiling, and Alice seemed to be at the very start of the row, listing the first shelf, Number 1.

“How many shelves are there?” He questioned himself, deciding to run to check for Harry and the rest. He was thankfully a fast runner with his long legs and stride, the boy stopping every now and then to check for noises, whispers. The farther he went the more shelves he could see, passing Number 48 after the second time stopping. His footfalls were echoing off the acoustics of the whole room, and he could feel his heart rate. He needed to get to Harry before he did anything rash. He didn’t know if anyone was here, passing Number 68 and still checking. By now he could hear them, soft whispers carrying off the walls. He grinned widely and followed where they came from, the farther he went the louder they became until he was bent over at Number 96 to catch his breath. He looked back, wondering how far he just ran. He took a moment and rightened himself, heading straight for the whispers, keeping himself quiet.

Then, he heard it.

“Harry?” said Hermione.

“What?” came the snarl of Harry, who sounded absolutely angry. Alice clenched his teeth, looking around, he finally could see them, peeking into the next row and spotting their figures.

“I… I don’t think Sirius is here.”

Everyone went silent again and Alice tiptoed to where Harry was moving, both of them coming out at the space between the rows, Alice’s mere presence had Harry leaping off his feet immediately, his wand quickly out and trained to his face.

“Whoa! Watch it.” Alice ducked before Harry could blast a spell, his voice giving Harry recognition as to who it was.

“Alice.” Harry choked out, “What bloody took you so long?” There was some concern hidden inside that anger and haste.

Alice noticed Hermione and Longbottom, smiling slightly. “I never set foot in this place, can you say I got lost?”

“We were waiting for you for minutes!” Hermione admonished. “What did you do?”

The shrill question had him scratch his head, “Nature called, Granger.”

Hermione went red suddenly, covering her mouth and looking away with a small ‘oh’ as Ginny snorted in amusement.

“Did you find Sirius?” Harry questioned, looking positively desperate. “Alice--”

Alice stopped him with a shake of his head, “If I had would I be here alone?”

Harry’s emotions were on his face, how he suddenly felt stupid for bringing everyone here when it looked obvious that there was no sign of him. Alice reached over and laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder consolingly.

“You’re not to blame.” Alice said softly, and Harry knew instantly that Alice had read him. The Gryffindor looked suddenly upset that it seemed to be a lie, that perhaps he was wrong. He was thankful at least, because Alice was there to make him believe that he wasn’t stupid.

A small surge of emotion rose within him, and he stared at Alice, “I--”

“Harry.” Weasley interrupted whatever moment that was going to happen, calling out to his friend. Harry seemed to bite back whatever he was going to say, giving his attention to Weasley.

“What?”

“Have you seen this?” Asked Weasley.

“What?” Harry asked, now eager — it had to be a sign that Sirius had been there, a clue — he strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Weasley staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelves. Whatever hope that was within him was quickly shattered.

“What?” Harry repeated glumly.

“It’s — it’s got your name on,” said Weasley.

Alice made his way over to them, peeking in as Weasley pointed out the glass sphere. Was this what Lucius meant by the prophecy? It had to be. It had Harry’s name on it, it meant _something_.

“My name?” Asked Harry blankly.

He stepped forward. Not as tall as his friend, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

_Dark Lord_

_and (?) Harry Potter_

Harry stared at it, and from behind him, so did Alice.

_It has Dark Lord written on this, this is what Voldemort wants._ Alice thought, alarmed.

“What is it?” Weasley asked, sounding unnerved. “What’s your name doing down here?” He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.

“I’m not here,” he said, sounding perplexed. “None of the rest of us are here. …”

When Harry began to reach out for it Hermione went into high alert, “Harry, I don’t think you should touch it,” She said sharply.

“Why not?” Harry questioned. “It’s something to do with me, isn’t it?”

His friends tried again to stop him, but all the while Alice kept his mouth shut, looking as if deep in thought. This means Lucius was somewhere around here, wasn’t he? They were waiting for something, for Harry to pick it up? Was it spelled to ward off others?

When Harry picked it up, nothing spectacular happened, only silence. Though, Alice could hear a faint shift of robes. They weren’t alone.

And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice said, “Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me.”

Alice took a steady breath, taking out his wand. It was time to party indeed.

The Death Eaters apparated all around them, at least twelve including Lucius if Alice was correct. The students were cornered, trapped while the Death Eaters seemed heavy in anticipation.

“To me, Potter,” repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.

Harry’s insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped and outnumbered two to one.

“To me,” said Malfoy yet again.

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry asked.

Several of the Death Eaters laughed. A harsh female voice from the midst of the Death Eaters to Harry’s left said triumphantly, “The Dark Lord always knows!”

“Always,” echoed Malfoy softly. “Now, give me the prophecy, Potter.”

“I want to know where Sirius is!”

“ _I want to know where Sirius is!_ ” mimicked the woman to his left.

She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry’s eyes.

“You’ve got him,” said Harry, ignoring the rising panic in his chest, the dread he had been fighting since they had first entered the ninety-seventh row. “He’s here. I know he is.”

“ _The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo_ ,” said the woman in a horrible, mock-baby voice. Harry felt Ron stir beside him.

Alice felt the eyes on him, and he looked at Harry. “Harry, I don’t think Sirius is here.”

Harry didn’t look so convinced, “He has to be here, why else would _they_ be here?” He demanded.

“If Sirius was here we would have found him by now,” Alice hissed out, “He didn’t appear until you picked up that sphere, that means what you’re holding is what he wants.”

“That’s your boyfriend’s father.” Weasley hissed out, “Are we really going to listen to Blackwood? He might be in cahoots with him.”

“This is not the time to point fingers!” Alice shouted heatedly, looking at Harry. “I can get us out of this.” He whispered, “Just follow my lead.”

Harry was full of turmoil. He was panicked and in fear, but he was angry about being led here by a lie. He couldn’t take it, looking at Alice as if he had all the answers. While Ron kept his bias towards Alice there had been one constant between him when it came to Harry. He never lied, not once.

“Harry what do we do?” Hermione tried.

“ _Look at the wittle babies twying to form a pwan._ ” The woman mocked again.

“Enough, Bella.” Lucius said calmly, “Potter, all we want is the prophecy.”

“Don’t give it to him mate.” Weasley cried out.

“Hold on we need to think about this logically.” Alice said aloud. “Mr. Malfoy doesn’t sound like he wants to kill us tonight does he?”

“What are you bloody on about?” Longbottom squeaked.

“Keep up with me!” Alice finally turned to Lucius, “You do realize I’m Draco’s boyfriend at this point do you?”

“This is no time to be conversing with the enemy!” Ginny shouted.

“Let Alice speak.” Harry said anxiously, hoping that Alice was going somewhere with this.

Lucius stayed quiet for a moment, as if thinking. “I’m not surprised in the slightest, but do go on. I’m curious as to where you’re taking this.”

Alice pulled on a smile, “Well, consider this a request, since you may become my father-in-law sometime soon.”

The woman snorted in amusement, “ _This_ is the boy?” She laughed.

“ _Not now Bella._ ” Lucius stressed.

Alice kept his smile, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. “You want whatever Potter’s holding, right? Well, how about we do a trade?”

“What?” Hermione cried.

“Potter’s sphere for all of our safety.” Alice continued as if she didn’t shout. “We part ways as if none of this ever happened.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Weasley moaned, “Blackwood’s bargaining with a Death Eater.”

Alice turned to him, “Do you have any better ideas?”

“Yeah! We could fight them!” Ginny glared at him.

“Fighting isn’t always the answer.” Alice shouted. “Look at where we are, look at who we’re up against. Not only will we possibly cause damages to the Department of Mysteries but they might attempt to kill us if we don’t comply.”

“They might kill _us_ , Blackwood, not you!” Weasley sneered.

“Who do you think I’m here for, Weasley? We’re outnumbered. We need to think about this with clear heads instead of attacking and hoping for the best.”

“But we trained for this exact moment!” Ginny hissed out, “Your way sounds like we’re admitting defeat.”

“It’s not admitting defeat!” Alice barked out, “It’s deciding to live to fight another day!”

While the tirade was continuing Harry was conflicted with his emotions. His friends had a point, but so did Alice. They did train for this exact moment, but then what if someone died for their mistakes? He had to put aside the fact that this might have been a trap, or the fact that he acted foolishly in the first place. Alice was showing his Slytherin colors with what he was saying, his need for self-preservation. They, however, were Gryffindors. They bled courage and bravery.

He remembered Remus one day back during the summer, what he was trying to convey to Weasley when Alice began staying there. He had sound advice. _“Pick your battles.”_ This was one of those times where he had to follow the exact same rules. What Alice offered as a trade might have been a coward’s way out but he made more sense than his own panic and anticipation.

“Harry.” Alice’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, his hand held out. “Trust me.”

_Trust me._ For at least three years Harry has been in this boy’s presence and he never once thought to deceive him. He never once lied. He always proved his worth, even when he couldn’t publically do anything. He continued to be Harry’s friend even if he was in a relationship with Draco Malfoy. Alice thought highly of Harry, and even helped him with this stupid task by acquiring the thestrals, after lying to centaurs to save them - something not anyone could get away with.

He looked at the hand presented to him, knowing that by doing this he was trusting Alice completely. The Death Eaters waited in bated breath as Harry finally handed the sphere to Alice. Weasley and Longbottom shouting “No!” While Hermione pursed her lips. Ginny looked absolutely disgusted.

“We can take them, Harry! Don’t listen to him!” Ginny tried.

Harry snapped his head towards her, “Sometimes we need to know when we’re outmatched.” He shouted.

Alice nodded solemnly, turning and making his way over to Lucius, handing him the prophecy. Lucius took it, holding it as if it could break if he so much as looked at it wrong.

“You heard the boy. It’s time to leave.” Lucius spoke up to the rest of his companions.

“But--” The woman spoke up until Lucius glared at her. She made an enraged shriek, “This will be settled later!” She snarled to the seven of them.

“Thank you, Alice.” Lucius said quietly, and one by one they began to apparate, leaving them alone in the Hall of Prophecy. Alice breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Harry, exchanging a quick glance--

Until Ginny stormed up to punch him in the jaw.

Alice stumbled back, holding his mouth as the pain ached in his cheek. “What the fuck--”

“Weasleys don’t back out of a fight, you Slytherin coward!” She hissed out. “Instead of fighting them like how we trained to do _for months_ , you manipulate Harry into giving up something that was possibly important to all of us.”

“I just saved your goddamned lives!” Alice hissed out.

“To what cost?” She screamed. “If you really think that forfeiting to Death Eaters will earn you any kind of respect--”

“Would you rather have died tonight?” Alice glared at her, his voice growing stronger, “Wait, let me rephrase this: would you rather your mothers weep over your dead bodies?” He pointed to the rest of them, “We were lured in here by a farce. Sirius Black is nowhere near this place. We were given a chance to save ourselves. I would rather live to fight another day and not have to worry about possibly dying in a situation that could have been prevented.”

Ginny glared at him, “This is why you’re a Slytherin, Blackwood. You’re all about cowardice and self-preservation.”

“No, we’re about cunning and being resourceful. Gryffindor bravery and courage doesn’t always work.” Alice spat.

“Enough fighting!” Hermione stepped in between both of them. “I hate to say this, but Alice is right.” She ignored the way Ginny looked at her, enraged at the sole thought of Alice being right. “We left Hogwarts on the assumption that Sirius was in trouble, we were panicked and scared. If he was really being tortured by Voldemort we wouldn’t have stood a chance! We left without thinking of the brevity of the situation. We didn’t have a plan in place.” She looked over at Harry, who was growing defensive and angry over being accused. She caught his glare and her face softened, “We’re not blaming you for anything, just remember that.”

Harry didn’t enjoy being scrutinized, and he felt like he was being judged by everyone around him. Harry Potter, the boy who ran head first into a trap. Harry Potter, who almost got his friends killed. Harry Potter, the boy that puts everyone in danger due to his own stupidity. He felt worse about himself, and he felt like falling into a hole and never coming back out.

“It’s not your fault.” Hermione stressed, “You were worried about your godfather, you weren’t in the right mindset to think of anything. Blackwood saved us all tonight. Who knows what may have happened if he didn’t come with us to the Forbidden Forest.”

Ginny was starting to feel guilty for punching Alice, but she was too stubborn to admit it. She said nothing, turning away and folding her arms. Weasley also looked like he didn’t want to talk, but he still thought they should have stayed and fought.

“There’s nothing wrong with backing down from a fight.” Lovegood said dreamily. “Even though we practiced for it, doesn’t mean we have to use it.” She sounded logical, another matter-of-fact statement out of character for her.

Longbottom looked glum, holding his wand and biting his lip, thinking of his gran. “If I died, Gran would have been devastated.” He spoke up in a small voice.

Alice visibly relaxed, removing his hand from his cheek and sighing. “We should get back.”

Before anyone could move, there was the sound of a slam coming from a distance away, the acoustics of the room sounding the loud footfalls of someone that was running.

Harry gripped his wand, straightening up. “If they decided to cross us--”

“HARRY!” Sirius’ echoed scream bounced off the walls. “HARRY!”

Harry instantly broke out into a run, heading for the end of the row and turning sharply. “SIRIUS!” He cried, tears finally appearing from the corners of his eyes.

The rest of the group broke out into a run, following Harry as they heard multiple footsteps heading their way.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief, making his way out at a slower pace than everyone else, lingering at the corner of the row and watching Sirius and Harry collapsed on the floor hugging. He smiled slowly, rolling his wand around in his fingers, feeling the runes again.

He managed to keep himself on the fence tonight, and no one got hurt because of it.

They lived to fight another day.

He just didn’t know what side he’ll be on when that day came.

  
  



End file.
